Albus & Scorpius: Life Is Simple In The Moonlight
by distantlight92
Summary: Albus is falling in love. Scorpius is feeling under the weather. Rose is treating them both with disdain. Potions and broomsticks and wine and secret kisses in the forest. Guest starring Gilderoy Lockhart in a cameo appearance.
1. Chapter 1: Alone, Together

Albus Severus Potter lent his head against the desk with a sigh. He was tired and he was bored and he was miserable.

Albus was tired because he had been up for most of the night, unable to sleep. Writhing around the sweat-sodden sheets of his four poster bed in the Slytherin common room, all his worries and fears had churned through his mind in the way that they tended to do in the early hours of the morning. At 3AM, surrounded by darkness, he seemed to feel most alone, most insecure, emotionally weak.

Albus was bored because the new Potions tutor Professor Constantine was in the midst of what seemed to be the most tedious, never ending monologue Albus had ever heard. For the past thirty minutes the teacher had, in a droning voice, methodically listed all four hundred and seventy eight ingredients needed for a Detoxification Potion. He had then described in soporific detail how as a seventeen year old he had left his childhood home in the Argentinean mountains, and travelled the world to track down each component needed for the concoction.

Albus was miserable because his best friend Scorpius Malfoy was not sat beside him.

"And after three months of carefully leaving the mixture to mature under the shade of a Jacaranda Tree, we were able to feed it to my father through a tube," finished Professor Constantine. "It had the pleasing effect of unclogging his arteries and bowels immediately. The damage caused by his diet of ten glasses of firewhisky and dozens of deep fried blood doughnuts a day was completely reversed – he was quite rejuvenated!"

Albus wished Scorpius was _quite rejuvenated_. Complaining of exhaustion and a chronic lack of energy, he had been admitted to the hospital wing almost a week ago after collapsing during Herbology.

Madame Pomfrey was of the opinion that he had the Wizarding Flu, and was in great need of direct sunshine and Vitamin D. Scorpius had spent most of the summer holidays indoors, living on a diet of chocolate frogs, locked away in the seclusion of Malfoy Manor, a large mansion filled with dark artefacts where his protective father Draco left him to roam, bored and idle. On the one weekend Scorpius had been allowed out, he had come home clearly drunk and covered from head to toe in mud. Stumbling into the hallway, he had knocked over a marble bust of Gellert Grindelwald which had to be sent to Switzerland for repairs.  
-

Albus and Scorpius were a dream team in Potions – the best students in the year, if not the school. It was the only subject that Albus excelled at. Working in tandem they had mastered the curriculum up to OWL level, although their effortless ability did mean they had a tendency to disrupt the class with dangerous experiments when they found the work too easy. It had become their favorite lesson, a glorious two hours spent fooling around, finishing each others sentences, doubled over in laughter at some private joke.

Somehow it wasn't the same for Albus by himself. He was missing Scorpius' pale mischievous face, that wicked smile which meant that he had tampered with the potion in the bubbling cauldron and was waiting to see what spectacular explosion or peculiar side effect might follow. On one occasion Scorpius had casually tossed a handful of dried gecko powder into a Pompion Potion and upon inhaling the fumes both boys had instantly turned bright green. They had to spend the afternoon being reverted back to their natural colour, allowing them to gleefully miss a double lesson of History of Magic taught by the ghost Professor Binns, the dullest teacher in the school.  
There had been no laughter or mischief this afternoon. Albus had spent most of the lesson brooding silently, staring at the hands on the clock which never seemed to move. He was bored by the work and resentful at being partnered with tiresome school swot Alice Fairweather now that Professor Constantine had finally finished his speech and put them into pairs.

"Careful," Alice snapped, as he chopped up birch roots maliciously and sent each clipping flying across the table. "What is _up_ with you today?"

"He's missing his boyfriend, aren't you Potter?" came a mocking voice from the table behind. Rickon Waddle was a Hufflepuff who Albus had come to despise for his irritating face and sheer stupidity. "Can the Slytherin Squib not concoct any potions properly unless his little lover boy Scorpius is around?"

"Shut up Waddle, he's not my boyfriend," spat Albus.

"Really? Because you're always sneaking off together. What are you doing, kissing in the Herbology greenhouses? Cuddling each other in the owl shed?"

"Don't rise to it Albus," said Alice haughtily. "We've only got ten minutes to finish this project."

"You've got a sick mind Waddle, do you know that?" said Albus, ignoring her.

"Everyone knows you're queer," taunted Rickon, making a blow job action with his mouth.

" _I'm_ queer?" retorted Albus. "How many girls have you ever kissed? Because I don't remember any. You were there at the Yule Ball last year, when I pulled Beatrix Creevey in front of the whole school. If anyone is sneaking off to suck cock it is you. You probably go to sleep fantasizing over Scorpius and me every night."

"That is quite enough," said Professor Constantine, suddenly appearing over Albus' shoulder. "Ten points from Slytherin. Turn around and get on with your Essence Of Insanity. It is a very volatile potion and requires your full attention."

"But please sir, they started it!" said Albus.

"He _is_ telling the truth," said Alice reluctantly.

"I don't care," said Professor Constantine. "Foul language will not tolerated at this school and neither will homophobia. Now turn around and attend to your potion."

Albus returned his attention to his cauldron with gritted teeth, and began slicing up the birch roots again. He had just drifted off into a pleasant daydream about lying on a beach in the Carribean with Scorpius, when he heard a voice behind him.

"Psst. Psst!" whispered the voice. Albus spun around to find Rickon pretending to be bent over by his fellow Hufflepuff Alex Jones. _"Oh Scorpius, give it to me harder"_ laughed Rickon. _"Please sir, they started it!"_ mocked Alex in a high mocking voice.

Albus felt the rage build up inside him. His heart rate quickened, he felt light headed and his eyes were filled with pure hatred. _Confringo_ , he hissed under his breath and the effect was immediate. Rickon's cauldron burst into flames, sending the liquid spurting out in all directions. Rickon and Alex both got a face full, and both rolled over screaming as burns appeared on their face.

Unluckily, Professor Constantine had been walking nearby at that exact moment, and received a splattering in the back of the head. He too had collapsed to the ground, and was muttering gibberish as his body spasmed.

"Someone get to the hospital wing!" squealed Alice, who had miraculously managed to avoid the liquid. "We need to alaert Madame Pomfrey!"  
Albus collapsed into his chair concentrating on his breathing. He smiled to himself, feeling a grim satisfaction at what he had done, the havoc he had caused. If only Scorpius had been there to see it.

"You're going to be in _such_ trouble for this," said Alice.

"Oh shut up, you stupid know it all," spat Albus with relish. He stood up, surveyed the damage and strolled casually out of the classroom, passing a sprinting Madame Pomfrey on the corridor.

With other students in lessons, Albus had a clear walk down empty staircases to the Slytherin common room in the dungeons.

"Password?" said a voice in the grey slimy wall.

"The dark lord," said Albus lazily, and the wall parted giving him entry to a passage leading to the lounge, which was bathed in atmospheric green light.

Nobody else was around, so Albus collapsed into a comfortable Gothic style armchair. He heard a loud "Meow" and a lithe black cat jumped up, curled on his lap and began to make low whining noises.

"I miss him too, Lucius," said Albus with a sigh to the cat who was glaring at him with red eyes in an almost accusatory way, as if it was Albus who had been hiding Scorpius away for the last week or he was the one somehow responsible for the absence of his owner.

Albus soon slipped into a dull afternoon nap, waking with a jolt an after fifteen minutes to find a wand pointed at his face. His stomach lurched.

"Give me all your sickles or I'll curse your arm off!"

"Don't do that, you bloody idiot! Scared me half to death. I might have had a heart attack!" Albus said the words indignantly but he was smiling.

"You'd need a heart first for that to happen," grinned Scorpius. "And I've seen no evidence of that."

The mere presence of his best friend gave Albus a weird feeling of euphoria – a sense of warmness towards a world that only half an hour ago had seemed to cold and lonely. Albus stood up to greet him and they hovered opposite each other awkwardly for a few seconds; they both moved in different directions, ended up banging their heads together, laughed, and eventually settled for a sort of hug-handshake hybrid.

"How did you get out of the hospital wing," asked Albus. "Paris Black told me they were keeping you in until Wednesday at the earliest."

"It was rather a stroke of luck actually," replied Scorpius. "Tobias Lovegood came rushing in to say there had been some sort of accident in the potions dungeon - Madame Pomfrey had to rush off immediately. I was able to befuddle the house elf on duty and sneak out."

"You've got me to thank for that," grinned Albus. "I sort of exploded a cauldron full of Essence of Insanity over Professor Constantine. Caught that idiot Rickon Waddle square in the face as well, you should have heard him screaming on the floor."

"You're a cruel bastard," laughed Scorpius. "And an absolute legend. Wish I had been there to see it. What made you do it?"

"Just things they were saying. It doesn't matter."

"How come you are back here in the common room," said Scorpius with a frown. "Shouldn't you be in divination next? They haven't barred you from lessons as a punishment, have they? Not that _that_ would be any sort of hardship."

"They haven't punished me at all, not yet," said Albus. "I'm on the run from the law as a matter of fact. Just walked out of the class and came straight back here, felt like a nap after all the excitement. They're probably trying to track me down right now. You want to be careful, fraternizing with a known fugitive," he added with a wink.

"I'll take my chances," laughed Scorpius. "Still, are you sure it was wise? Covering a teacher in burns...that's pretty serious. You might even get expelled. I can't imagine life here without you."

Scorpius sank into an armchair and for the first time Albus noticed the dark patches under his eyes, the hint of tired melancholy in his face as he contemplated life at Hogwarts without his closest friend. Albus liked to gaze at Scorpius – his features were beautiful by any standard. The blond, almost white hair that swept so naturally and nonchalantly to the left of his forehead. The piercing blue eyes that usually sparkled with life. The flawless, pale skin, accentuating his perfectly formed cheekbones and Greek nose. The lips, surprisingly full, a deep red colour. The recent illness had only increased his perfection, giving him a sort of exhausted, thoughtful pallor like a fatalistic, doomed figure from a tragic play.

Although he and his best friend shared everything, Albus could not confide that he liked Scorpius in...that way. Scorpius was too brash, too fond of lusting after girls and boasting about stolen, passionate kisses in the dusty corridor on the third floor. Albus was grateful enough that someone so popular and beautiful had chosen him as his best friend – he often couldn't believe his luck when they strolled through corridors together and Scorpius was greeted like a hero by everyone they met. Albus treasured more than anything their evenings alone, sneaking wine to their secret hideaway in the forest, and descending into juvenile giggling as they talked about everything and everyone. He wasn't prepared to risk the only true friendship in his life by confessing what could be just vague, fleeting feelings. Thus, Albus had resolved to put these thoughts to one side, to treat them as one of those hormonal teenage phases his father Harry was always warning him about.

"Oi! You're not listening," said Scorpius, throwing a thick volume of Hogwarts: A History at Albus who had drifted off into thought.

"Sorry, what were you saying?"

"I was saying that you could just pretend it was an accident. They can't expel you for an accident."

"Can't we indeed," said a stern, clipped voice. Headmistress Minerva McGonagoll was standing at the entrance to the common room, looking more angry than Albus had ever seen her. "Come on, Potter – my office."


	2. Chapter 2: Heart In A Cage

Albus trudged dolefully down dark corridor after dark corridor, struggling to keep up with Professor McGonagall.

"Hurry up Potter!" she barked in a thick Scottish accent, "I haven't got all afternoon."

Albus was caught off guard by the misery he felt, the churning in his stomach at the thought he might be expelled. He had always treated life at the school with a sort of offhand disdain, giving the impression of someone who was miserably living out time until he was old enough to leave. Now that he was faced with the prospect of leaving forever, he had to admit that he cared more about Hogwarts than he had been able to admit even to himself.

He didn't like it at the school, true, but he couldn't bear it anywhere else. Especially at home, when he felt alienated from his parents and envious of his siblings. Here he had Scorpius, the only person who seemed to bring him out of himself, who didn't seem to care about his limited magical abilities or awkward personality.

Soon enough, they reached the office of the headmistress, austerely decorated with only a dark oak writing desk and a smattering of magical objects resting on cabinets. Albus Dumbledore smiled at him with twinkling eyes from one of the portraits on the wall. Albus sat down and prepared to face his fate, feeling like he wanted to cry.

"You leave me in a very difficult position, Potter," said McGonagall. "Injuring a teacher...most serious."

"It was sort of an accident, Professor," said Albus, biting his lip. "I didn't mean to hurt Professor Constantine. He just sort of got caught in the firing line."

"Nevertheless, the behaviour was reckless in the extreme. In normal circumstances you should be punished severely. On the other hand...well...I was very fond of your father...he did express concerns...is something troubling you? Are you struggling with the fourth year curriculum?"

"No, it isn't that," replied Albus. How could he explain the unexplainable melancholy he felt? How could he explain that overwhelming sense of apathy and hopelessness towards the world? That sadness which seemed to have no tangible cause, and seemed as natural as the dull, rainy clouds that had populated the autumnal skies near the castle lately. Scorpius understood – he shared the same sickness, though was better at hiding it- but trying to explain depression to a brisk, forthright adult like McGonagall would be like trying to explain a smart-phone to Arthur Weasley.

"Perhaps you have been spending too much time with that boy, Scorpius Malfoy," she continued. "The two of you appear to be inseparable."

"Being friends with Scorpius isn't what is making me ill," protested Albus. "It's making me better, if anything."

"Hmm," said McGonagall doubtfully. "Interesting family the Malfoy's...don't like to criticize a student... A wide range of friends should be part of the Hogwarts experience. You should have friends from all houses and backgrounds. Try and diversify. In the meantime, I must decide your punishment. Your father and the debt that this school owes him has granted you a certain clemency, so I will be lenient in this instance."

"I'm not going to be expelled?"

"Not this time. You will have detention tonight at 8PM, assisting the caretaker Mr Watt in preparing the Quidditch pitch for the big match between Slytherin and Griffindor at the weekend. You will be cutting the grass on the pitch – by hand. I have procured an artefact known as a 'Lawn Mower' from the Muggle Studies department for the task. You will push this object around the pitch until Mr Watt is satisfied that the grass is looking satisfactory. No magic will be allowed."

Albus snorted in his head – he couldn't cut grass by magic if he had the entire night to attempt it. He must be the only fourth year in the school for whom it was quicker to mow a lawn by pushing a blade manually around the pitch than with his wand. He sighed at this realisation.

"Don't sigh at me, Potter. You have gotten off lightly by all accounts. I also want you to spend some time working on potions with young Paris Black – he is falling behind, and not just on his education. He is becoming more immature and mischievous by the day – used to be such a sweet boy during his first year. You will be mentoring him. I believe it will be good for both of you. You are dismissed."

Albus thought he would rather be landed with more Muggle gardening than spend time working on potions with Paris Black. The boy was in his second year, and his loud chirpy voice and excitable laugh could be heard echoing around the corridors at every hour of the day. Albus, who preferred silence and stillness to boisterousness, found him extremely irritating.

Worse, Paris seemed to believe that since his grandfather Sirius Black had been best friends with Albus' grandfather James Potter, this inseparable friendship should continue into the current generation. Out of resigned politeness and at the insistence of his father Albus was forced to tolerate this delusion without complaint and make stilted conversation while Paris buzzed around him on the way to lessons.

Paris kept cornering him in the library and wildly suggesting they should start a modern day Order Of The Phoenix, with Albus as the leader of dozens of recruits, going on swashbuckling adventures to vanquish the dark wizards of the age. Albus couldn't think of anything worse than being surrounded by that many people – and he found it an effort walking to the other side of the castle for a lesson, let alone traversing the world trying to track down evil characters.

Albus wandered back through the labyrinth of passageways and staircases that led back to the Slytherin quarters. Although it was only mid October, a chill had already descended on the castle and he was forced to toast his hands by the fire when he returned to the still deserted common room.

Scorpius was the sole occupant, asleep in an armchair, the flickering flames illuminating his pale, flawless features. Even while asleep he looked exhausted, with huge black rings under his eyes and the general look of someone who needed fresh air and a satisfying meal.

Albus gazed at him for several minutes, and fought the urge to kiss him on the forehead. Every time he had seen or spoken to Scorpius in the last month he had had the weird, almost uncontrollable desire to lunge towards his lips. They would be deep in conversation, and Albus would have to force all his concentration on not grabbing him in a passionate embrace. It was almost as if he had been confounded with some sort of love charm over the summer break, or at least Albus tried to think that this was the cause...the alternative was that he was tumbling into love with his closest friend, and as a natural pessimist Albus was sure that couldn't end well.

Conscious that lessons were to finish soon and hordes of chattering Slytherin's would be filling the common room, Albus sloped upstairs to his dormitory and tried to sleep, setting his Chudley Cannons alarm clock for 7.45PM so he didn't miss the detention.

The detention was more enjoyable than expected. Although he had been shivering and resentful at the start, standing in the cold autumnal air with his teeth chattering, Albus soon got into the rhythm of his task and got a strange satisfaction out of the manual work, especially when he surveyed how neat and stylish the grass looked when he had finished. By the end he was sweating and had to remove his cloak as he sat alone by the side of the pitch, trying to clean the blades of the lawn mower with a wet cloth.

Suddenly he heard a whooshing noise and a slim, athletic figure speeding towards him on a broom, blond hair almost glowing white under the floodlights on the Quidditch Stadium.

"Finally found a use for you, have they," grinned Scorpius. He surveyed the pitch: "I think you've missed a bit."

"You know what won't emmiss a bit?/em" replied Albus, "The stunning spell I'll be firing at you if you don't shut up."

"I wouldn't bank on that – I saw you attempt one in Defence Against The Dark Arts the other week. Have they managed to get that carriage clock working again after you left it in splinters?"

"Don't know, don't care," said Albus.

"How did it go with McGonagall, then? Have they chucked you out and made you Gamekeeper, just like Hagrid? Is that what these weird tools are for?"

"No, they let me off. Just detention. Something to do with what a wonderful bloke my father was apparently and the debt we all owe him."

"Special treatment, is it, for the son of the chosen one? Not likely to get that with emmy/em father. Discrimination if you ask me – not my fault Draco was a crazed pureblood fanatic and overall plonker in his youth is it? To be fair, I suppose someone like you needs to be given emsome/em special perks to compensate for your looks," said Scorpius with a wicked smile.

Albus didn't seem impressed by his special treatment – he often wondered how he would ever live up to his brother, let alone his father, and it was somewhat humiliating to escape punishment through Harry's virtues rather than his own.

"What are you doing down here, anyway?" asked Albus.

"Quidditch practise. Top secret, so we did it near the lake rather than up here where Griffindor spies might have seen us. Was flying back to the castle when I spotted a familiar looking miserable figure slouching around the grounds. Come on, I'll cheer you up – let's go to the forest."

Albus and Scorpius had spent much of their third year designing and building a hideout in the Forbidden Forest. Under the cover of an invisibility cloak, they had regularly sneaked out of the castle in the dead of night and surreptitiously created a clearing in the woods. Here, they built by a small wooden hideaway by a combination of magic and hard work, a hidden place where they could escape the bustle of the castle.

Scorpius had found a book on dark magic in the attic of Malfoy Manor, and much time and concentration had been spent learning complex spells which repelled teachers, students and even the gamekeeper Hagrid. The spells had created an impenetrable ring around the small clearing, and thickets of dark, evergreen trees had been created to hide the wooden cabin from anyone who did manage to get close. The place was only accessible by tapping a bewitched conifer tree with wither Scorpius or Albus' wand and whispering the words amicus meus.

Albus conjured some warming blue flames, a trick he had learned from his Auntie Hermione, and they sat side by side on the comfy floor of the cabin listening to music from a crackly wizard wireless getting slowly drunk on a collection of Albanian Purple Wine which Scorpius had stolen from his father's cellar.

"I'm going away in the morning for a couple of days," said Scorpius suddenly, eyes half closed from the heaviness of the alcohol. "I'll be back in time for the Quidditch match at the weekend."

"Going away where? What for?" slurred Albus.

"Just back home for a couple of days. I'm taking a Portkey from Hogsmeade. Going to recharge my batteries, catch up with my father, sleep in my own bed, that sort of thing."

Even in his tipsy, slightly bemused state Albus knew this was a lie. Scorpius often complained about the springiness of his bed at home, and avoided spending time with Draco at all costs. Still, he decided not to raise the point and risk ruining the evening.

"I'll miss you," he said in a low voice.

"Who wouldn't," smiled Scorpius. "Come here."

Scorpius pulled him close in a hug, and Albus rested his head on his chest and closed his eyes, blissfully glowing from the flames on one side and Scorpius' warm, beating chest on the other. Scorpius stroked Albus' jagged jet black hair and smooth face with his impossibly soft hand, and they rested like this for almost half an hour, until Albus eventually realised that Scorpius had nodded off himself and that it was almost 2AM.

"Come on, time to get up," said Albus softly, shaking Scorpius gently by his cloak.

Scorpius half opened his eyes and smiled sleepily. And just then, Albus finally gave into temptation and moved his quivering mouth slowly towards that of his friend. Scorpius gave a murmur of assent, dulled by the wine and the half light, and leaned upwards to meet him, enjoying the sensation of Albus' lush, full lips against his own, running his hands through the hair of his friend as they slowly caressed their mouths against one and other.

Albus could feel his heart pounding within his chest, butterflies in his stomach and the unmistakable sensation of his cock hardening beneath his robes. As their tongues swirled around, Albus drank in Scorpius' peppermint breath and grasped his head in his hands, kissing with more passion and ferocity.

Scorpius eventually pulled away and collapsed to the floor with laughter.

"Man, I can't believe that just happened," he said, rolling around in a fit of giggles.

Albus smiled weakly, trying to hide his hurt that his friend was treating one of the most beautiful moments of his life as a kind of joke.

"Albus," whispered Scorpius, as they walked back to the castle under the cloak. "Don't tell anyone about what happened just now, will you. Let's keep it between ourselves."

"Ashamed of me, are you?" said Albus.

"You know I am," Scorpius replied, sticking his tongue out. "No, it's not that. It's just, well...I'm not gay...and I know you're not gay...and we don't want people jumping to conclusions, just because we had a few drinks and messed around."

Albus jerked his head in a kind of nod and they carried on walking.

Scorpius stopped him again just before they entered their dormitory

"Seriously though, it would be better if tonight stayed between the two of us. You don't want to get a reputation for...that sort of thing. We'd never hear the end of it. We would be abused and laughed at everywhere we went. I know that is just a natural day for you of course, but for me..." He said this last sentence with his usual mischievous smile, but Albus wasn't laughing.

"Right, whatever you say," said Albus sullenly.

"I just don't want to ruin my chances with Rose Weasley, that's all. I'm thinking of asking her to the Yule Ball."

Albus felt his fists clench at this last sentence, felt a wave of jealousy flow over him that he had not felt before

"You ruined your chances with Rose Weasley when your bastard of a father became a death eater and tried to kill her family," he spat, and stalked off to bed, leaving Scorpius sat on the stairs staring miserably into space, drinking iced water to sober up.


	3. Chapter 3: Clear Skies

Scorpius returned to the castle early on Friday morning. It was a crisp, autumnal sort of day, and the first frost of the year had stiffened the leaves that crunched under his feet as he walked up to the huge oak door. His cheeks were glowing slightly red from the cold air.

Albus immediately noticed the spring in his step and the glint in his eye, when they met in the Great Hall over a breakfast of smoked salmon and scrambled eggs. He also noticed with interest the silver stud that now rested in Scorpius' tongue - piercings were extremely rare in the wizarding world. Whatever Scorpius had been doing while away seemed to have worked - Albus had rarely seen him looking better or more attractive. His arrogant strut of a walk had returned, exuding haughty adolescent sexuality. Albus tried to be happy his friend was healthy rather than turned on by his regained confidence.

"Hang on, why are you sat on the Ravenclaw table?" asked Scorpius, suddenly noticing an eagle crest on the robes of the students sitting nearby.

"Meant to be spending time with Paris Black, aren't I," said Albus glumly, jerking his head towards the empty chair on his right and then up towards Professor McGonagall who was sat looking stern and upright at the head of the staff table. "Making him stay out of trouble and helping him with his studies."

"Ah, right, yeah. How's that going?"

"See for yourself," replied Albus, pointing to the Griffindor table, where Paris was crouched behind Rose Weasley with a tray of ice cubes. As she leaned forward, he poured the ice down her back, making her leap up with a yelp of outrage.

"You little twerp," she shouted, making a grab for his robes just too late as he sprinted away in the distance and high fived a friend, backing out of the hall sticking his tongue out at Rose.

"You're a natural," said Scorpius to Albus, who returned to his salmon with rolled eyes. "His conduct is improving by the day. Must be your natural air of authority."

"The only way I'd get him to follow my instructions is by putting him under the Imperius Curse," muttered Albus. "I was bloody tempted the other day. Started teaching him how to make an Engorgement Potion for his homework, and caught him trying to use it on his cock! Said he wanted to impress Rose, he's infatuated with her. He only turned thirteen last week, just started his second year. I didn't even know what sex was at his age!"

"Like hell you didn't, what about that magazine you found hidden in your fathers paperwork, _Quidditch Queens Disrobed_? We used to read that every night under the covers."

"Oh yeah," said Albus offhandedly, as if he hadn't masturbated over that memory several times in the last month alone. He and Scorpius, in their pajamas, huge bulges prodding out of the bottoms, rubbing their penises while excitedly flicking through the photos of amateur Quidditch players posing alluringly naked except for their brooms.

"Well, you tell Paris to stay away from Rose – she is all mine! She can't hate me forever, not with this face. So...did it work?" asked Scorpius.

"Did what work?"

"The engorgement charm, of course! Could come in handy."

From the bulge Albus had seen through those pajama bottoms, Scorpius didn't need any help with the size of his member.

"Oh, that. Not really, as far as I know. He didn't seem too happy with the results – luckily I had some of that antidote we cooked up last year to reverse the process. McGonagall would have gone ape – told me to help him with his homework and he ends up in the hospital wing with his cock shaped like a wonky parsnip of something. Speaking of potions, I better get going – got to be there in five minutes."

"Who's filling in for Professor Constantine?" asked Scorpius.

"Who knows," said Albus, dragging his bag around his shoulders and setting off to the dungeons. "See you tonight," he called behind him. "Want to hang out after the Quidditch match?"

"Yeah, are you coming to watch?"

"Of course. I'll meet you in the changing rooms afterwards."

Albus broke into a run and caught up with his cousin Rose Weasley, unmistakable as she swept down the corridor with flowing red hair billowing behind her. Slytherin and Griffindor students took potions together.

"Your death eater boyfriend not with you?" she asked with a smirk.

"Not a death eater, not my boyfriend, not back in class until next week," sighed Albus.

"Shame, you two look so cute together. I might start shipping you."

"Shipping us?" said Albus nonplussed.

"It's a Muggle term my friend Grace taught me, never mind. Who d'ya think the substitute potions teacher is going to be?"

"How should I know?" replied Albus. "Sit next to me will you? Don't want to get landed near Alice Fairweather again."

"If I must," replied Rose airily.

"Thanks," said Albus.

Rose gasped as they entered the classroom. The usually dark, damp dungeon had been transformed – violet scented candles flickered on every surface, lilac velvet tapestries sparkling with glitter hung on every wall, and instead of the usual hard wooden chair at the back of the room there was a luxurious pink armchair. In it sat the most beautiful man Albus had ever seen. His lush, golden hair was slicked back into a hipster top knot, accentuating his glorious bone structure with eyes that shone.

The man raised himself to his feet and lifted his hand to silence the class. His sky blue robes hung perfectly off his firm, muscled body.

"Good morning! As I'm sure you're all aware, my name is Gilderoy Lockhart. Order of Merlin, Third Class! Founding member of the Dark Forces Defence League! Seven time winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile award. Back at Hogwarts by popular demand!"

"Gilderoy Lockhart?" whispered Albus to Rose. "Isn't he that writer who went crazy and ended up in a mental hospital? I'm sure my father talked about him."

"Yeah," Rose whispered back. "But they found some new cure a couple of years ago and put him right. It was all over the news, a major breakthrough."

"It was all rather fortunate, really," continued Lockhart. "My old friend Minerva needed a potions tutor at short notice, and there I was doing a photo shoot for my annual Christmas calendar in Hogsmeade. I agreed to return immediately! Incidentally, the festive calendar will be available from all good retailers and via mail order at the very reasonable price of One Galleon, for those who are interested," he added with a wink.

"I'm sure he used to teach when our parents were here," said Albus to Rose in a low voice. "But he looks too young for that."

"Maybe he has done some anti-aging charm or something. Or he just has a mirror in his basement. He _is_ beautiful."

"I will of course by happy to sign your copies of the calendar with a personal message," beamed Lockhart, before he noticed Rose & Albus whispering. "Pay attention," he barked. "I didn't gain the skills that helped me fight off four trolls single-handed in Kenya by chattering away in the back of class. But...if it isn't...good lord, are you the son of Harry Potter?"

Albus blushed – he hated being known as _The Son of Harry Potter_ rather than as himself.

"Yeah, that's me," he said through gritted teeth.

"Oh my word, your father and I had some japes!" said Lockhart with a charming giggle. "I suppose he told you all about the time I saved his life and fought off the Heir of Slytherin in the Chamber of Secrets?"

"Well..." started Albus hesitantly.

"And of course, there are many who credit his long sessions in my classroom learning how to fight off the dark arts as the biggest reason he was able to topple You-Know-Who!"

So Albus was stuck with him all lesson. Lockhart pulled up a fluffy stool next to the desk and spent the next hour reminiscing as Rose gazed up at him with glazed eyes.

"The man is a fraud," said Albus as he walked to Herbology with Rose. "My father said he made up all the stuff he writes about in his books. He's just really good at memory charms so he takes credit for things other people have done and modifies their memory, it is disgraceful really-"

But Rose had fallen behind, and was giggling with her friends about Lockhart's pearly white teeth and smooth, elegant hands.

He's not a patch on Scorpius, thought Albus, wondering whether to skive off and meet his friend in the common room. In the end he fought the urge and forced himself to the greenhouses for two hours of cactus maintenance techniques.

Albus was still picking the cactus thorns out of his hands as he walked to the Quidditch Stadium with a hyperactive Paris Black at half seven that evening. Night matches had recently been introduced in the house championship, and the atmosphere was always more electric under the floodlights.

Paris was unmistakably a descendant of Sirius Black, with his dark jet hair and dark, mysterious eyes. Just after leaving school, Sirius had an affair with a barmaid at the Leaky Cauldron which resulted in the secret birth of Paris' father, Tobias Black. Tobias had been brought up by his mother in Australia, and married a girl from one of the oldest wizarding families in Canberra. After Paris had been born, they moved to Scotland to run a hotel for firewhiskey enthusiasts on Skye. Paris had never met his grandfather Sirius but had heard plenty of stories from Harry, and was determined to follow in his trouble making ways.

"Come _here_ ," said Albus to him as Paris started to shoot off again having seen a girl he knew. "I'm meant to be keeping an eye on you, remember."

"I can look after myself," said Paris dancing around him. "You ought to be concentrating on getting a date for the Yule Ball. I got mine aaaaages ago."

"Some of us are more selective," said Albus with a condescending look, but he had to admit the boy had a point. In an ideal world, of course, he would have gone stag with Scorpius, but he knew his friend would be going with a girl, and he knew how much of a loser he would look if he turned up alone.

They were fifteen minutes early for the match, and the anticipation had built to a fever pitch by the time the teams swept out on their brooms. It was a cold, dry night with a clear starry sky, and the stands were completely full, with students from all houses excited for what always proved to be the most aggressive and eventful match of the season – Griffindor v Slytherin.

Scorpius did a loop on his broom and stuck his newly pierced tongue out at Albus, which glinted under the pure white glare of the lights. He was one of the three Slytherin chasers, tasked with firing the quaffle through the hoops standing sixty foot in the sky, and trying to score as many points as possible before the snitch was captured. He would be directly opposing Rose Weasley, a talented flier who was looking determined and steely glaring at her opponents in crimson Griffindor robes.

Madame Hooch blew her whistle to start the game, which began as a tight, nervous contest, with both teams playing a defensive game attempting not to concede while the seekers buzzed around trying to find the little golden snitch.

Paris watched in awe as his twin sister Selena Black glided through the clear night skies with effortless dexterity and grace, eyes narrow and focused looking for a glint of gold. She was the Griffindor seeker, having been the youngest house player since Harry Potter. Although it was generally agreed that Selena was the most naturally gifted player in the entire school, she had the same rash, exhibitionist streak as her brother and lacked focus.

Tonight, however, she was flying with more purpose than ever before, glint in her eyes and fire in her belly. The Slytherin seeker was left grasping at air as she feinted and swiveled, pulling into fifty foot dives and then hurtling upwards, leaving him floundering on the grass after being unable to halt his momentum.

Griffindor were soon thirty points ahead and the Slytherin section of the crowd was getting angry. Scorpius in particular was coming in for abuse – he seemed to have lost his energy from earlier in the day, and was putting in a lackluster performance, being outstripped by the rapid Griffindor chasers time and time again. Unaware of what was around him, a bludger smashed him right into the abdomen, leaving him bent over and coughing as Rose zipped by the make it 40-0.

"Sort your head out, Scorpius," came one shout from the terraces.

"You're totally bloody useless, Scorpius" came a more abusive catcall.

The Griffindor crowd was gloating at the score, starting a Mexican wave which was completed by the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff supporters, all of whom hated Slytherin. Scorpius shook himself, trying to regain his composure. He flew high into the air until he was level with the floodlights and his lithe, blond body was silhouetted against the blinding florescent light. Albus saw him reach into his pockets and raise his hand to his face, giving a grimace as he dove down back into position. He took out a bottle of water and poured it all over his face and hair, and shouted "Come on!" to his teammates.

Scorpius suddenly quivered with life – his eyes went wide and determined, his body started to shake with pent up energy. His face brimmed with confidence and euphoria. In the half an hour that followed, he zoomed around at a speed that seemed barely possible, cutting through the opposition like a sharp razor blade and launching the spherical red ball into the hoops again and again.

The quaffle seemed magnetically drawn to his hands, his understanding with his teammates became telepathic. Albus had never seen anyone with such vitality and could scarcely believe the transformation of Scorpius from lethargic dead-weight to the supreme, driving athlete who was destroying the reigning house champions. He shuffled uncomfortably in his chair, noticing the protruding, throbbing rod that had appeared in his robes, turned on by the brilliance and athleticism of his friend. He was grateful Paris was so fixated on the game and hadn't noticed.

After forty minutes Slytherin led by 330 points to 50, and Scorpius had scored a record 310 points for his side. No individual player had ever scored more in a house game. The Griffindor team were shell-shocked and had no answer. Their fans were in a strange limbo between being crestfallen at the score and awestruck at what they were seeing. The Slytherin's were jubilant and chanting 'There's only one Malfoy'.

Selena Black suddenly surged upwards in a propulsive forward motion towards the crowd in the main stand. Albus had mere seconds to jump out of the way as she sped towards him, hand outstretched. It looked for all the world like she would crash headfirst into the seats, but in a majestic maneuver she changed direction with the flexibility of a gymnast, swerved away and did a lap of honor clutching the golden snitch in her hand to a mixture of bemusement, cheers and jeers from the crowd. She had gained 150 points for her team and the match was over.

The Slytherin supporters roared with delight – despite not capturing the snitch, they had won. Scorpius had touched down on the pitch and was being mobbed by his teammates.

"What the hell was that!" shouted Rose as she met Selena on the grass below. "We just lost, 330 points to 200! You're meant to get the snitch when we are less than one hundred and fifty points behind, you stupid little cretin!"

"Oi, get off her case, Rose," said her fellow chaser Carmen Beckett. "We were never going to win, not with Scorpius Malfoy in that form. She was just ending the game on our terms."

"Seeking the glory for herself, more like," spat Rose. "You're so bloody selfish, Selena. This is meant to be a team game."

"Whatever," said Selena, sweeping her dark hair back nonchalantly. "At least I did my job – not my fault you are such a bad chaser, not my fault that you bottled it and couldn't score enough points to keep us in it." Selena finished putting her lipstick on, turning her luscious lips a deep black, and sauntered away, giving the middle finger to Rose as she went.

Rose felt anger bubbling inside, and raised her wand – but before she could fire off a curse, she was hit in the ribs by a bludger that the stocky Slytherin beater Vince Crane had shot at her. The crack of bone shattering was sickening, and Rose fell to the ground.

"What do you think you're doing, attacking your own teammate!" shouted Vince standing over her. "While her back was turned as well. You're such a bitter los-"

Before he could finish his sentence he was knocked to the floor with a punch to the side of his head. Scorpius had flown in, face flushed with aggression, and now leaped on top of Vince firing incredibly rapid, powerful punches down on his own teammate.

"How dare you attack her!" shouted Scorpius, continuing to rain down blows.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" chanted the crowd, as the rest of the Slytherin team tried to separate their two players, and the teachers rushed down from the stands to deal with the commotion.

Eventually a group of people were able to get in between Scorpius, who was already sporting the beginnings of a black eye, and Vince, whose face was covered in blood from the repeated punches. Rose was being helped to her feet in tears, barely able to stand.

"Hey Rose," shouted Scorpius with grin, "Will you go to the Yule Ball with me? You've got to now; I'm your knight in shining armor!"

"No I will not," she sobbed, limping off the pitch with the help of Madame Pomfrey. "Just piss off, all of you!"

Scorpius collapsed onto his back and stared up at the sky feeling suddenly melancholic, wondering how his mood could change so suddenly from elation to desperation. He was overcome by cold sweats and his heart was beating unbelievably fast. He lay there for a long time calming down, taking deep breaths, until the stadium had emptied and he was alone with the moon, letting the dewy grass cool his body off.

When Scorpius finally left the pitch he found Albus looking moody, huddled alone in the dark on a wooden bench in the dressing room.

"You shouldn't have waited for me," said Scorpius, feeling tired and low. "You'll be missing the celebration in the common room. "

Albus merely shrugged and smiled at him. Scorpius took off his cloak, reached over and draped it on his friend's shoulders.

"You looked freezing," he said by way of explanation. "I'll just take a quick shower and be with you."

Soap scented steam drifted from the communal shower area and Albus drank it in. He pictured Scorpius naked, with drips of water floating down his torso which was wet and gleaming. He pictured the shower gel foaming all over his body, being lathered all over his thighs and sliding over his pert, athletic bottom.

Shaking his head and cursing himself, he tried to force the images out of his mind – he could feel his cock rising already. He wished he hadn't been so amorous lately, feeling obsessively turned on at the slightest thing. Eventually he started pacing up and down trying to memorize dates of the Goblin Rebellions for his History of Magic class, which soon reduced his member to its usual flaccid state.

Scorpius emerged wearing a pale green Slytherin bath robe, blonde hair still wet and falling sexily over his forehead in jagged formation. He pulled out his spare clothes from his bag and went into a cubicle to change, talking rapidly over the door about the match to Albus. He seemed to have regained his energy, and was positively bouncing on his heels when he emerged, wide grin on his face. Albus wondered where Scorpius was getting these sudden bursts of energy from. Still, his enthusiasm was contagious, and soon Albus was feeling euphoric and adventurous too, suggesting that they took a moonlit stroll to the far side of the lake, where an underwater volcano had erupted in the summer leaving clouds of warm sulfuric fog drifting across the surface.

And so they sat by the lake for a blissful hour, reliving the match point by point, lying on their backs looking up at the majestic castle through the strange, hanging mist that hovered on top of the water. Scorpius' left leg was hyperactively shaking up and down in his black skinny jeans. Albus on the other hand looked for once effortlessly relaxed and cool in slim grey denim trousers, black boots and an oversized navy sports branded sweater. It brought out the color in his deep green eyes, and with his hair damp from the steam and the night air he looked soft and strangely beautiful in the half light of the orange orb they had conjured that glowed in the air. Scorpius was looking at him differently, eyes full of affection as deep in conversation they stared intensely at one and other. Nothing seemed more natural than lying here side by side, drinking in the taste of victory and the sensation of being alive and young.

Suddenly Scorpius jumped impulsively to his feet and started taking his clothes off.

"What are you doing," said Albus, his voice a mix of excitement and confusion.

"Going for a swim," said Scorpius as if it was the most normal thing in the world to strip naked on a freezing winter night and leap into a lake filled with dangerous magical creatures. Before Albus had chance to dissuade him, he was down to his white boxer shorts and had dived gracefully into the dark water, barely making a splash. For thirty seconds the surface of the water became flat once more and Albus felt his stomach drop in fear. Then, thirty metres away the water stirred and Scorpius emerged with a grin, barely visible from the shoreline through the hazy fog.

"Come on in, it's beautifully warm," he shouted.

Albus didn't need a second invitation, and soon he was clad in his own underwear and jumping clumsily feet first into the water, swimming powerfully across to Scorpius. Wearing wide grins they splashed water at each other, playfully pulled each other under the water, ending up spluttering and coughing due to a combination of laughter and mouths that had filled with lake water. Scorpius swam behind Albus and grabbed him by around the waist, holding on to his smooth emerging abdominal muscles and resting his head in his hair as they drifted slowly treading water. Everything became silent as they rocked slowly together in the swell.

With a deep breath Albus turned round to face his friend and pulled himself close to Scorpius' body. They clasped onto each other tightly and Albus began to stroke Scorpius' back tentatively under the water feeling himself tremble despite the warmth of the water as his fingers explored lower and lower.

Scorpius felt his body tense up and his breathing became quicker as Albus began to run his hand up and down his spine, shivering as his friend began to clasp and stroke his ass on the outside of his sodden boxer shorts. Scorpius gripped his friend tightly, digging his fingers into the slim, surprisingly firm back of Albus. With an involuntarily sharp intake of breath, he realized their erections were pushing against each other in the water and began to move against his friend to create some friction. Now it was the turn of Albus to moan, shuddering with ecstasy at the friction of their sexual wands rubbing against one and other through their thin cotton pants and the water.

Scorpius grasped Albus' face in his hands and kissed him fiercely, deep emotion coursing through his veins. Neither had felt before the electricity of such raw physicality and guttural desire. Albus raised his legs under the warm, volcanic water and wrapped them around his friend as he continued to explore his mouth, loving the metallic taste and wonderful sensation of Scorpius' tongue stud probing his own lips and tongue, kissing each other faster and faster in a frenzy of lust and passion.

Scorpius closed his eyes and leaned into Albus' neck, running his tongue down the side to the top of the shoulder causing his friend to groan in pleasure. Scorpius smiled and opened his eyes before suddenly stopping, his body frozen. He was sure he had seen movement on the shore, and their orb of light had been extinguished.

"What's wrong?" asked Albus.

"Someone is watching us," Scorpius replied, straining to see in the dark, feeling suddenly cold. "Stay here."

Scorpius swam ashore and clambered out onto the grass. He was conscious of his half mast erection clearly visible through his soaking wet white Calvin Klein boxer shorts, which had turned almost transparent now they were filled with water. He walked back to where they had left their clothes, and his heart sank as he found the spot empty. He began searching on his hands and knees in the dark, and nearly jumped out of his skin when words came out of the black emptiness of night:

"Always knew you two were at it secretly," said the triumphant voice. A light appeared and Vince Crane, the beater from the Quidditch team, was surveying a flustered Scorpius, who had leapt to his feet feeling vulnerable without his wand.

"What the fuck are you talking about," replied Scorpius angrily. "I don't know what you think you saw-"

"-I saw you and Potter in a lip lock, wrapped around each other, that's what I saw."

"You saw no such fucking thing. Look how foggy the lake is, how could you see anything in this light? I was dragging him out of the water, you idiot. He was being pulled under by the squid."

"You'll wish that _you_ had been pulled under by the squid when I tell everyone about this!" gloated Vince. "It will be the talk of the school, Malfoy and Potter secretly bumming each other! We all suspected it was happening - it isn't natural the amount of time you two spend together."

"What's going on," said Albus groggily, looming in the distance, shaking water out of his hair. "Where the hell are our clothes?"

"How long have you two been queer?" called Vince to him.

"We. Are. Not. Fucking. Queer." said Scorpius angrily, a look of pure loathing in his eyes. "Maybe you ought to tell us what _you_ were doing, sneaking around the grounds, spying on us as we took a swim nearly naked. I think the boys in our dorm will want to hear about _that_. A voyeur in our midst, leering at his naked classmates secretly."

" _I_ was looking for you. They sent me down here to look for you when I got back from the hospital wing, wanted me to bring you to the victory party to celebrate our win. I was actually going to apologize about the fight as it happens. Never _dreamed_ I'd stumble across this."

Albus had found their clothes and was walking over, drying himself with a towel, shivering in the bitter October evening.

"Just clear off Vince," he said with a snarl. "This is none of your business."

"With pleasure," Vince laughed. "I'll be sure to raise a toast to you two being in love when I get back to the party. Smell you later!"

Still grinning, he set off up to the castle with a quick stride and a bounce in his step. _Suppose it had to come out sometime_ , thought Albus, dragging his tight jeans up around his wet legs with difficulty. He was just doing up the buttons when he heard a shout of _"STUPEFY!"  
_ to his left.

Albus spun round and found Scorpius staring ahead with cold satisfaction, wand in hand, still in his underwear. A few dozen meters ahead of them the prone, stunned body of Vince Crane fell to the floor with a thump and rolled over the muddy pumpkin patch, frozen and inert.


	4. Chapter 4: Between Love And Hate

"Now what are we going to do," said Albus incredulously, as Vince Crane's lifeless body came to a halt against a pumpkin stalk.

"Throw him in the lake," said Scorpius, only half joking. He strode over to his victim and kicked him onto his front with relish. "Knocked him out cold. Damn good spell even if I do say so myself."

Albus pulled his sweater on, still shaking his head, wondering why trouble seemed to follow him around. Less than a week ago he had been walking down a cold corridor wondering if he was going to be expelled – now he was stood on a cold lawn with his best and only friend wondering if _he_ was going to be expelled. Maybe the headmistress had been right, maybe he _should_ be spending less time with Scorpius. They had brought each other nothing but trouble lately.

"Couldn't you have just called him a horrible name or something?" complained Albus. "They're going to throw the book at you for this. Stunning someone is a serious offence even for an adult wizard. You'll just have to hope he doesn't grass on you – he did mention the other day how he hated sneaks. You might be thrown out if McGonagall hears about this."

"Calm yourself, nobody is getting thrown out," said Scorpius confidently.

"Hmm," said Albus doubtfully, walking over to Crane's rigid torso and trying to remember the counter jinx to reanimate him. "Suppose I better wake him up, then" he sighed.

"You'll do no such thing," ordered Scorpius, who was finally fully dressed again and striding over with his wand out. "He'll run back up to the castle and tell everyone what he saw!"

"Is that such a bad thing?" asked Albus.

"Are you mental? The whole school will be laughing at us, calling us the two Slytherin bum boys or something!"

"Isn't it better to be laughed at for who you are then smiled at for who you're not?" said Albus quietly.

"No it bloody isn't," snapped Scorpius. "What are you suggesting, that we go to the Yule Ball hand in hand and slow dance to love songs together? That might be who you are, but it isn't who I am."

"So all that on the lake, what was that? You were just pretending to kiss me?"

"Jesus, it was a bit of fun, that's all."

"Maybe I don't want to be your bit of fun," said Albus, his voice rising. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck beginning to stand up, and it had nothing to do with the cold breeze whistling in from the mountains. "I'm not a book for you to pull off the shelf whenever you need some light entertainment, and then put away again once something more interesting comes along. I'm not a mannequin for you to try clothes on to see which ones fit best. I'm your BEST FRIEND. At least I thought I was."

"So don't ruin that!" shouted Scorpius. He had lost all his warmth and euphoria from an hour before, and now looked as pale and tired and jittery as ever under the moonlight. "Why do you have to take everything so fucking seriously? Always wanting to talk about things, always staring out of windows thinking all your deep thoughts and pondering the meaning of life. Why does everything we do have to _mean something_? God forbid I do something just because it feels good in the moment, without spending hours contemplating my feelings. We were messing around and got carried away, it isn't a big deal. You're not gay and neither am I, so don't ruin our friendship over some stupid kiss."

It was the longest speech Scorpius had ever given, and the most intense. He was usually too laid back, too cool to talk about anything properly, using sarcasm to mask any sentiment. He had charm and beauty, and that was all he needed.

Albus stared at the ground miserably and ran his hands through his jet black hair. On the one hand Scorpius was right – if they did take it further, if they did take the plunge, their friendship would be irrevocably changed forever. This was the exact reason Albus had been suppressing his feelings for so long. He treasured their companionship above all else in life, and didn't want to risk it for what might be just a fleeting lust born out of boredom and adolescent desire.

On the other hand, change wasn't always a bad thing. If they took things further they could foster bonds deeper than friendship, bonds that would last forever. Albus felt the word _love_ floating around his brain and tried to swat it away like an irritating wasp. _He likes girls_ , said a voice in his head, _he likes tits and he likes vaginas and he likes your cousin more than he could ever like you._

Scorpius was scowling at him. Albus resented that even when Scorpius was at his most aloof and dismissive, he still couldn't stop wanting him. He would rather be shouted at by Scorpius than flattered by Paris Black. Maybe that was what love was. Did that then give Scorpius permission to warmly lead him on and coldly dismiss him ten minutes later?

"I'm not anyone's experiment," said Albus defiantly under his breath.

Scorpius had wandered off, and was now crouched down lifting his wand to his face and breathing in deeply. When he returned he seemed to have regained his composure and sense of purpose. Crane was starting to stir on the floor, the use of his limbs gradually returning to him and muttering under his breath.

"So what's the great master plan, then?" asked Albus coolly. "Are you going to seduce him like you did to me, bribe him into silence with sexual favours? Or are you just going to wait for him to wake up, apologise for beating him to a pulp and cursing him unconscious and then ask him nicely to keep quiet?"

"Nope," said Scorpius. "We're going to put a memory charm on the little bastard. Make him forget every little thing he saw tonight."

"Well, of course, _naturally_ ," replied Albus, his voice so dripping with sarcasm he could have been mistaken for Scorpius himself. "The fact that neither of us knows how to perform a memory charm matters not! The fact that it is a highly complex spell the use of which is regulated by the Ministry of Magic itself is irrelevant! The possibility that it could go terribly wrong and erase his entire memory is just a hazard we must take! After all, the sky would cave in around us if anyone possibly had any evidence to suggest you are not the raging heterosexual stud of a man you present to the world...you're actually serious about this, aren't you?" he finished, looking at his friend disbelievingly.

"Too right I am," said Scorpius with a sneer. "How hard can it be? He never had much upstairs to begin with, I doubt people will notice if he gets a bit more forgetful."

"This isn't some practical joke," said Albus. "This isn't performing the jelly legs charm on a first year - this is serious. Gilderoy Lockhart ended up in a mental institution for ten years when a memory charm went wrong on him!"

"You got an alternative?"

"Tell the truth?" suggested Albus, giving his friend a withering look.

"Nobody cares about truth," said Scorpius animatedly. "The only thing that matters is how things seem, not how things are."

But Albus had stopped listening – _Gilderoy Lockart_. That was the answer. Harry had told Albus that Lockhart was the most skilled wizard at modifying memories who had ever lived. The authenticity of every one of his books had rested on his ability to track down the true heroes of the stories and erase their minds completely.

He turned the dilemma over in his head. Asking his teacher to perform an illegal charm on a fellow student was not an ideal course of action, especially when Albus himself didn't particularly care whether Crane told people about what he had seen. Conversely, he was cold and tired and just wanted his friend back, wanted to stop the conflict. He knew Scorpius was not going to let this go – surely it was better that someone with skill attempted to modify Crane's memory, rather than Scorpius, who would surely get expelled and even prosecuted if it went wrong, as it almost certainly would.

Crane let out a loud grunt and rolled over in the pumpkin patch, covering his robes in wet mud. Out of the corner of his eye Albus saw Scorpius focus his eyes, take out his wand and aim it at the head of his helpless Quidditch teammate who was still dazed on the floor.

 _"Expelliarmus,"_ cried Albus, and Scorpius' wand flew towards him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" shouted Scorpius angrily.

"Stopping my best friend doing something he will regret," said Albus calmly. Scorpius made as if to speak again but something about the determined expression of his friend stopped him, and suddenly he look ashamed and defeated, as if the events of the day had finally caught up with him.

"Don't know what is happening to me lately," he muttered. "I'm such a prick."

Feeling mollified, Albus continued.

"Now here is what is going to happen. You're going to stay here and make sure he doesn't wake up. I'm going to find Gilderoy Lockhart and convince him to sort this mess out – he knows all about memory charms and will be able to modify his mind safely."

"Can we trust him – Lockhart I mean?" said Scorpius doubtfully.

"I doubt it. But I have enough dirt on him about all the stuff he invented for his books to make sure it is in his interest to help us out. He won't want to be outed as a fraud any more than you want to be outed as a homo..."

"Ha ha," said Scorpius.

"And remember, I'm not helping you because I approve of this madness. I'm doing it because I'm a loyal friend. You're going to owe me big time if this comes off."

"Oh, I'm sure I can find some way to pay you back," Scorpius replied with a weak smile and the hint of a wink.

"Don't," said Albus firmly. "Just make sure you stay here and keep an eye on him. I won't be long."

"I love it when you're masterful," called Scorpius after him, and in spite of himself Albus felt his spirits lift as he ran to the castle.

Gilderoy Lockhart was reclining in an armchair by the fire when Albus arrived at his office. His eyes were hung low, immersed in a dark red volume of literature. Clad only in a pair of pink silk pyjama bottoms, the flickering flames glowed against his toned, golden torso, and despite the urgency of the situation Albus couldn't help admiring the flat, washboard abdominals and protruding pectoral muscles that gave Lockhart the appearance of an extremely beautiful Adonis from Greek mythology.

"Albus, Albus, Albus. I was wondering when I'd be seeing you!" he purred as Albus put his head round the door.

"Well, you can stop wondering," Albus smiled.

"Take a seat, my boy, take a seat," said Lockhart airily, conjuring a chintz armchair out of thin air. He showed not the least embarrassment at being caught in a state of undress by a student – in fact, by the way his door had remained alluringly ajar, it was almost as if he had hoped for such a thing to occur. "Just doing a bit of light reading," he said, gesturing to the thick book he had laid down on an oak coffee table. "My own autobiography, entitled _Magical Me_ ," he explained. "I sometimes forget even myself what wonderful achievements I have accomplished!"

"I can imagine," said Albus wryly.

"I knew you would be here for a chat. About your fears, your desires. Difficult, isn't it, coping with obscurity in the world of celebrity? But as I once said to your father, fame is but a fickle fiend, and there are those who let it _suck_ them under." He surveyed Albus up and down in a way that was not quite appropriate for a teacher. "The son of the great Harry Potter – how hard it must be to live up to his fame his glory. Is that why you attempted to disfigure Professor Constantine with that potion?"

"No, that was an accide-"

"-indeed my own son found it impossible to cope with the demands of being the child of the most famous dark wizard catcher of his age. He insisted on being sent to school in Australia, and cannot even bear to write to me, such is the pressure upon his young shoulders."

"Look, I'm not here for advice on being famous. I need a favour actually," said Albus a little hesitantly.

"I thought as much – you want to know the secret to these firm, rippling abs, don't you?"

"No, it isn't that," said Albus, although admittedly he wouldn't have minded a few tips, conscious he was of his skinny frame.

"Is it your hair, then? So dark and lank. You wish to know how to make it blond and luscious like mine? My dear Albus, it is simply the case of choosing the right conditioner, and-"

"-No, it isn't that either."

"Looking for stories about your father, are you? Wanting to hear about the time I saved him in the Chamber of Secrets, when we fought the Dark Lord side by side?"

"No," said Albus, getting frustrated. He was hungry and he was tired and he was getting tetchy. The dark, humid ambiance of the office was giving him a headache. "Look, cut the bullshit, Lockhart. I know none of that stuff you talk about ever happened."

The look on Lockhart's face changed instantly. Where he had once displayed a smiling indulgence and pleasant smile, he now wore pursed lips and the faintest hint of anger.

"I don't know what you are talking about, Albus," he said pleasantly.

"Yes you do. And you'll be helping me out tonight, unless you want the whole school to know what a fraud you really are."

"So, blackmail is it? Yes, your father was an arrogant and irritating boy as well."

"I'm nothing like my father," said Albus.

"Well, it is true you possess none of his talent," said Lockhart with a smirk.

"Hurt your calendar sales, won't it?" said Albus, refusing to rise to the bait, "You being outed as a fraud. Those modelling jobs will soon dry up."

"You are a meddlesome and loathsome child," said Lockhart, his syrupy smile failing to conceal a grimace. "Out with it boy, I haven't got all night. What favour do you wish to ask?"

So Albus recounted the whole sorry tale of the evening, omitting of course the fact that he and Scorpius had been locked in a fervent, half naked embrace when Vince Crane had stumbled upon them.

"Very well, very well," said Lockhart, irritated but resigned to his fate. "I'll clean up your mess."

He pulled on a black toweling robe and slippers, and they hurried down corridors and staircases, Albus running ahead to make sure the coast was clear.

"The embarrassment, if anyone were to see me like this," muttered Lockhart self pityingly. "Clad in a gown, wandering the castle in violet slippers. I don't deserve this..."

"Finally, you're here," said Scorpius when they arrived. "I kept fearing he would fully wake up – had a close call five minutes ago with Hagrid patrolling the grounds, tried to perform a disillusionment charm on myself, not sure it worked properly."

Lockhart examined Vince Crane, who was now twitching slightly and muttering.

"What exactly is it that you wish him to forget?"

"Um...just everything he did after about six tonight, everything he saw," said Scorpius evasively.

"And what would that be?" asked Lockhart with a smirk.

"Does it matter?" said Albus testily.

"Only if you are of a curious disposition, like myself," smiled Lockhart. Scorpius was getting restless. Albus could sense Lockhart would like to toy with them for a while longer, but luckily it was past midnight and there was a distinct chill in the air, especially to someone as scantily clad as the potions professor.

" _Obliviate,"_ hissed Lockhart with a skilled flick of his wand, crouching over Crane. His wand extracted a thin, silvery substance from the brain of the dazed boy, and with another swish of his wand Lockhart sent this drifting away on the wind towards the forbidden forest.

 _"Enervate_ ," said Lockhart in a dry, bored voice, and Crane instantly started to revive.

"W-w-what happened?" he said, bolting upright. "W-w-where am I?"

"Don't panic my boy, you are in the grounds of the castle," said Lockhart soothingly. "It appears that you collapsed when searching for these two boys. Luckily, they found you and came straight to me, knowing my skill at reviving those suffering from severe head trauma, as described in my bestselling classic _Voyages With Vampires_."

"D-d-did we win the Quidditch match," asked Crane hazily. "I can't remember anything."

"Yeah," grinned Scorpius feeling a wave of relief, "We absolutely smashed them."

"Nice," replied Crane with a dazed smile.

"Mr. Malfoy will kindly escort you to the hospital wing, where you will remain under observation over night."

Scorpius looked slightly surprised, but he pulled Crane up under the arm pits and with surprising strength supported his weight as they staggered back to the castle together.

"Will he be alright?" asked Albus.

"Absolutely fine," said Lockhart. "He'll just need a couple of days to fully regain his sharpness. Remember our bargain, boy. You keep your mouth zipped about the...slight exaggerations in my work. And I'll keep quiet about how you and your friend violently assaulted a fellow pupil and blackmailed me into modifying his memory."

"Deal," said Albus, hoping that boring, safe Professor Constantine was soon fit enough to teach potions again and Lockhart was forced to leave the castle.

They walked back to the oak doors in silence, and over the stone floors of the entrance hall, coming to a parting at a gloomy looking stairwell. The Slytherin dormitories were downstairs in the dungeons, whereas Lockhart's office was on the third floor.

"Well...goodnight," said Albus, somewhat lamely.

"You'll never get him, you know," said Lockhart silkily. "Your love is doomed to failure. You must have seen the way he looks at Mrs Weasley, the animalistic lust in his eyes. You're just a toy to him...bitter experience will teach you that. Leave your fatal crush aside, and focus on someone who can _truly_ love you back."

Lockhart gave a speechless Albus the same glinting, creepy look he had given him in the office.

"Sleep well, Potter," he murmured, and walked elegantly up the stairs and out of sight.

Albus and Scorpius made no mention of what had happened at the lake over the next few weeks. They were being kept busy by the mountainous levels of homework which were being set, and soon their friendship had returned to normal. Albus had began taking extra Defence Against The Dark Arts classes on an evening, determined to improve and live up to the family name – he was pleased to have something to take his mind off the tumult and confusion his feelings for Scorpius had caused.

They quickly slipped back into their old routines, playing chess together in the dormitory, coming up with practical jokes to try out on unsuspecting first years. Most evenings were spent gorging on chocolate frogs by the fire with their fellow fourth years, warming their hands and enjoying the camaraderie of the Slytherin common room, which had seemed to contain a lingering euphoria since their emphatic demolition of Gryffindor in the Quidditch Cup.

The school was now adorned with majestic Christmas decorations. In the Slytherin quarters, huge shiny green baubles hung from every part of the ceiling, glinting in the pale winter sun during the day and reflecting the warm, blazing fire on an evening. A huge dark green tree with thick branches was shedding pine needles in the corner, and generally spirits were as warm and cheery as anyone in the house could remember. The only downside for Albus was that Gilderoy Lockhart would be staying on until the end of the term, and kept giving him seedy, knowing glances from the front of the potions classroom - Professor Constantine's lacerations had become infected, and he would not be fit to teach until January.

Scorpius was more popular than ever after his record breaking performance, and seemed to be relishing his notoriety. He strutted around the school with a wide smile permanently etched to his face, sardonically insulting both students and teachers with his dry wit, the latter of whom were being typically indulgent, seemingly unable to punish him harshly when confronted with those bewitching blue eyes or that soft, beautiful face. His jittery exhaustion seemed to have disappeared completely, although Albus did notice with curiosity a strange new tendency he had to duck in and out of bathrooms, always alone.

Albus had surprised himself by securing a date to the Yule Ball, the much anticipated final social event of the year which was only a few days away. He would be going with Selena Black, who had taken to joining her twin brother when Albus tried in vain to teach him the mysteries of potions. She usually sat silently in a corner, drawing sketches or experimenting with various styles of makeup, sometimes attempting to transfigure silver jewelry into weird and wonderful shapes. She was as still and quiet as her brother was hyperactive and loud. After she had loudly complained she had nobody to go to the ball with, Albus spontaneously asked her to go with him.

"I thought you'd never ask," she murmured, with a lazy confidence and a sultry voice far beyond her thirteen years. She gave him and kiss on the cheek as she sauntered away, and Albus was surprised to find his pale face blushing bright red and his lips grinning widely as he glanced in a mirror on the way back to the common room.

"How long have you been grooming _her_ , you nonce," laughed Scorpius, who was going with Rose Weasley's best friend Rebecca Nelson, much to Rose's irritation. "Bit young isn't she? Only a second year."

"She's thirteen and I'm fourteen," said Albus defensively. "Nothing wrong with that."

"She looks about twenty one, to be fair," said Scorpius. "Bet she is well up for it. If either of us pull, we'll leave a sock on the dormitory door as a warning...actually, no, the house elf who cleans our beds might pick it up by mistake and gain her freedom...can't be having that, she always leaves a hot water bottle in my bed when the temperature drops below ten degrees, I'd be lost without her...we'll leave a piece of string instead..."

"Don't hold your breath," said Albus. "Rebecca Nelson's hasn't even kissed anyone as far as I know."

"Yet," grinned Scorpius, before grabbing Albus playfully in a headlock and forcing him to the ground where they wrestled around for several minutes until a girl who was trying to revise told them to keep the noise down. They trudged up to bed laughing, filled with festive cheer, the glow of friendship and growing excitement for the ball.


	5. Chapter 5: Modern Girls

Albus Potter was feeling distinctly self conscious as he stood in front of the full length mirror that adorned the Slytherin fourth year dormitory. He was the sort of boy to walk down corridors with his head down, preferring to avoid attention and spending most of his time alone or with his closest friends. He was also a conservative dresser, usually clad in plain blue jeans and plain white tops. Seeing his reflection now, wearing expensive designer dress robes, his eyes glowed with surprise at his impressive appearance while his body shook with nerves at the thought of dancing in front of the whole school wearing this unfamiliar outfit.

He had to admit the robes felt luscious, with the collar raising high around his neck, caressing his skin and giving him a slightly haughty, conceited look – the sort of look he had often seen on his best friend Scorpius, and tried to emulate in this very mirror without success. His face was generally of a different kind, intense and slightly unsure, with deep green eyes that seemed to contain depths of melancholy. But in these robes, as jet black as his hair and exquisitely soft, he seemed to carry a newfound gravitas. He almost seemed to melt in the starry sky when reflected against the paneled window, which was being battered with the whistling winter wind.

Scorpius had insisted several weeks ago that they go into Hogsmeade and have their Yule Ball outfits made bespoke. Albus, who generally put little thought into his attire, had wondered whether such an effort was necessary. He had pictured himself fading into the background at the ball rather than strutting around in pricey designer clobber. His fears worsened when he noticed with astonishment the bill, which ran to two dozen galleons.

"For a pair of _robes?!_ " he spluttered. "You can get a new broom for that sort of money. My father will never pay for these," he added nervously to his friend as the store attendant folded their robes carefully. "He never spends money on clothes. Quick, we'll have to tell the attendant we don't want them before he packs them up for us."

"Chill," replied Scorpius nonchalantly, "This is on the Malfoy tab. Father has given me access to the family account for my books and other educational items."

"Does this count as education?"

"Of course. I'm educating you in the arts of style and seduction."

"I can't let you pay this much," protested Albus. "You just get your own; I'll wear my normal robes."

"You will not. I'll not be seen dead with you in those threadbare purple robes you were trying on the other day. Don't worry about the cash; my family has masses of money in Gringotts, we could hardly open the door for gold coins when we visited over the summer. _Someone_ needs to spend our ill gotten gains. Imagine how amazing you will feel, dazzling the girls and quite possibly getting down and dirty with a Hogwarts hussy, all because of the swank robes that were paid for with money my father made serving the dark wizard who your father killed! Ironic or what!"

"Robes bought with blood money, wonderful," said Albus drily, once he processed the convoluted sentence he had just heard.

He had to admit he was wrong to have reservations. I _should listen to Scorpius more often_ , he thought staring into the mirror with an uncharacteristically wide grin - he had no idea that clothes could give you such euphoria or confidence. He loved how beautifully fitted the robes were around his shoulders, giving a shape and grace to his scrawny teenage body hitherto unseen. His baggy jumpers and casual jeans usually made him look slightly awkward.

"Hot stuff," grinned Scorpius returning from the bathroom, his emerald green robes hanging casually open. His blond hair was still damp, falling casually over his forehead, and Albus felt his stomach give a familiar lurch of desire as he noticed the pale, smooth chest curtained by the double breasted garment that glinted enticingly in the low dormitory lights.

Scorpius moved in front of the mirror, fastened his robes, and massaged mouse into his hair so it was slicked back in a classic style. The look accentuated beautifully his pale forehead and perfectly proportioned face, and seemed to turn his hair into an almost white colour. With his wand he casually summoned a bottle of hairspray from the bathroom, and used it liberally to hold his sleek locks in place.

"Come here," he said to Albus, and standing behind his friend he tenderly moulded wax into his hair, styling it to the left so the body of it looked lush and the fringe lay sexily jagged over his forehead.

"Anything you can do with mine?" asked Vince Crane, a stocky hard faced boy who shared the dormitory and had caught Albus and Scorpius in a somewhat compromising position several weeks ago. He had threatened to inform their classmates until his memory had been modified, which seemed to have had the added effect of making his personality slightly more pleasant.

"Wouldn't have thought so, you've got a buzz cut," laughed Scorpius shaking his head. "Suppose I could try and conjure you a wig."

"Can't you make it shiny or something?" complained Crane. "You two look way better than me."

This could not be denied. Vince wasn't much competition, too big for his robes that strained at the buttons and walking awkwardly on his thick set legs. His ultra short haircut did little for his face, with a misshapen nose from Quidditch injuries and ears that stuck our prominently on either side.

But even when they emerged from their dorm room to meet the rest of Slytherin, Scorpius had to admit with a smirk of satisfaction that he and Albus were the two best looking, best dressed males in the entire house. They descended the stairs to the common room and were immediately bombarded with compliments.

"You two look absolutely gorgeous," said a fifth year girl with a sigh.

"You know it," said Scorpius offhandedly while Albus could only grin and go slightly red.

"Looking very suave boys," said their head of house approvingly.

"As always," said Scorpius running his hands through his hair. "I might give you a dance later if you're lucky Professor."

"God, you've become bloody arrogant lately," said Albus in his ear.

This was true. Scorpius had always been the outgoing, confident type but recently it had to be admitted that he had taken on a rather boastful edge. Albus could trace the change back to when his friend had gone home for a few days in October, to try and recover from a bout of tiredness and lethargy. Scorpius had indeed recovered, and was mostly returned to his energetic, ebullient self. But he did seem to have developed a new edge. His witty putdowns now often had a hint of a sneer about them. He no longer walked down the corridors but swaggered along them. Albus often found him grinning in front of mirrors, bouncing on the toes of his feet and nodding with satisfaction as he saw his reflection.

There had also been the occasional, momentary flash of aggression, although this had settled down lately. And when Albus watched his friend sleep, which was several times a week, he sometimes seemed to writhe around in cold sweats and wake up the next morning jittery. Albus had his own emotional turmoil to worry about without pondering on this too much, though. Generally their friendship was a close and affectionate as it had ever been, even if Albus _did_ have to constantly stop himself from fantasizing about his friend or lunging in for a kiss as they talked.

They had arranged to meet the girls outside the Ravenclaw common room, situated at the top of a tower towards the west of the castle. This meant a long and steep climb from the Slytherin dungeons, and the boys skipped quickly up the spiral staircases and corridors, taking swigs of Volcanic Vodka on the way from an ancient silver hip flask that Albus had received as a birthday present – the flask was once said to have belonged to Nicholas Flamel himself. Scorpius had lifted a case of the vodka from the cellars of the Hogs Head when they went to get measured for their robes, and staggered back with it down a secret passageway into the school. It was fairly vile stuff, but it warmed the throat and most importantly gave the drinker a tipsy sort of confidence. Albus had initially suspected that a daily indulgence in this drink was the cause of Scorpius' character change, but the levels on the bottles never seemed to go down so he dismissed the theory.

By the time they reached the Ravenclaw entrance door they were out of breath, and quite relieved to see that their dates had not yet arrived. This gave them time to regain their composure, wipe sweat off their brows and rearrange their hair in a small gold-edged mirror that Scorpius kept in his pocket.

Albus' date emerged from the enchanted oak door first, and Albus felt enchanted himself as he laid eyes on Selena Black, wearing a skin tight red dress, her enigmatic face artfully painted in dark gothic makeup. Even the usually composed Scorpius felt his jaw hang slightly open at her beauty. Despite being in her early teens, she could have easily passed for a catwalk model in her twenties. Her face radiated confidence and he body had already grown into voluptuous curves that gave her an hourglass figure.

Scorpius nudged his friend, and Albus snapped out of his trance.

"Y-you look incredible," he said, meaning it, biting his lip with nerves that had suddenly returned. Selena simply smiled and took his arm.

Scorpius was slightly disappointed to see that his date was comfortably the worst looking of the group of four. Rebecca Nelson was a pretty girl, but her outfit was all wrong for her, a sort of low cut white trouser suit which emphasized her heaving breasts but did little else for her figure. She also had a habit of making unpleasant facial expressions and turning her nose up as if she had smelt something unpleasant, which Scorpius with his cool, emotionless demeanour found very irritating. She was, if possible, more arrogant than he was, but with none of the charm.

"This outfit shows off my body so well, don't you think?" she asked Selena in a posh voice, although the question appeared to be rhetorical as she gave the younger girl no chance to answer. "You two can go into the ball before us if you want – I don't want us to overshadow your entrance. Once we arrive, nobody will be able to look anywhere else," she said looking up to Scorpius with a smug smile and grasping his hand. "We'll be the most gorgeous couple in the room," she predicted confidently, wrapping her left arm around his waist as she walked tittered tentatively down stairs in high heels. Selena glanced surreptitiously up to Albus with a wicked grin as if to say _is she for real_? Albus grinned back and then quickly attempted to straighten his face – Rebecca was on his left and could see him fighting the urge to laugh.

"Don't smile, Albus," she advised, "It exposes the lines on your forehead. Makes you look most unattractive."

Scorpius was already regretting asking her to the ball – he had only done so because he wanted to irritate her best friend Rose Weasley. He had only spoken to her twice beforehand, which he now considered to have been two times too many. For the first time in his life he felt jealous of Albus, walking arm in arm with a girl who seemed to possess both beauty and class, not to mention talent on the Quidditch pitch - Selena was the Griffindor seeker.

With a twinge he realized he felt slightly jealous of Selena, too – he wondered briefly what it would have been like walking down to the Yule Ball arm in arm with Albus, who was looking so handsome and authoritative in his stylish robes. With every egotistical remark from Rebecca, and every droning sentence about how long it had taken to do her hair, he was starting to decide that it might not have been such a bad idea of Albus' after all for them to go together. It would have shocked people, if nothing else.

He was just beginning to wonder whether he would rather kiss Rebecca or Albus when he realised with a jolt he had forgotten something.

"One moment, call of nature," he said as he rushed back up a staircase and ducked into a bathroom. He emerged after only seconds looking suddenly pumped up, wide eyed with an equally wide grin on his face.

"That was quick," said Rebecca.

"Couldn't wait to get back to you, could I?" said Scorpius smoothly and she beamed as he took her hand.

Soon after they arrived at the entrance to the Great Hall, which was decorated magnificently with the sky bewitched to release magical snow which floated down and disappeared as soon as it touched the floor. Tinsel was shimmering in every direction, and circular oak tables decorated with mini Christmas trees surrounded a spherical dance floor.

Orchestral music and the buzz of conversation was already reverberating from within - they were arriving fashionably late on the orders of Scorpius. Rebecca had been right about one thing – all eyes focused upon them as soon as they walked in, although most were transfixed to the mysterious glamour of Selena Black and the tall, dark, handsome stranger on her arm. Scorpius was ashamed to find himself irritated by this; Rebecca was oblivious to it.

"Everyone is so envious of us," she purred, halting Scorpius on the raised marble steps in the entranceway and giving him a long, sloppy, voluptuous kiss that seemed to him to last several minutes. The students sat at the tables surrounding the busy dancefloor gave a roar of approval, while the teachers looked on with either indulgence (Lockhart) or pursed lips (McGonagall).

"We'll go and get some drinks," said Selena, rolling her eyes with amused distaste.

"Yeah," said Albus, surveying the sloppy snog with a nauseating sensation that for once had very little to do with his attraction to Scorpius and his envy at watching him kiss someone else.

Scorpius wiped his mouth dry with his robes and quickly steered Rebecca to the dance floor where they could get lost in the crowd and he would be spared any further embarrassment. Generally he liked ostentatious displays, but with Rebecca it all felt weirdly humiliating.

"Good idea," she sighed, "I've been desperate to hold you since our eyes met over our textbooks in Transfiguration last year."

She buried her head in his chest as they swayed to the music, which gave him an opportunity to scan the room for Rose Weasley – there was no sign of her unmistakable flaming red hair on the dance floor, and he wondered somewhat hopefully whether she had stormed off in a jealous huff after seeing him in a passionate clinch with her best friend. Her date for the ball was the much older Griffindor Quidditch captain Thomas Hoffman, a boring but dependable seventh year with broad shoulders and a winning smile. Scorpius thought he was very unsuitable for such a vivacious girl as Rose.

"I say," Rebecca said haughtily, gazing upwards into his eyes, "That girl Selena is rather too attractive for your friend, don't you think?"

"No," said Scorpius defensively. "Albus is very good looking."

"I mean, I know you like Albus," she continued, as if he had never spoken, "but he really is a very average looking boy. I can't think what a girl like Selena sees in someone so dull. She could have anyone! She is almost as good looking as me, for heaven's sake."

Scorpius gripped her tighter with an angry grimace, but she seemed to take this as a sign of affection and looked even more deeply into his eyes.

"Albus should have been fair and asked someone of his own level to be his date. A plain looking girl like my friend Rose would have been so much more suitable for him."

Scorpius felt himself involuntarily grip her tighter, rage building up in his chest. This only made Rebecca let out a groan of pleasure and much to his annoyance she placed her hand on his bottom and started kissing him again, closing her eyes. Vince Crane, who was dancing near them with a well built but attractive girl, gave him the thumbs up sign and mouthed "Get in there!" Scorpius forced a wink, despite his brain churning with anger. In his opinion Albus, Rose and Selena were all far more beautiful than the girl whose lips were locked around his, both on the inside and out.

Albus was surprised at how easy company Selena was. He had not previously spent much time talking to girls, and with a guilty but rather pleasing reflection he wondered whether he was enjoying chatting to her more than he did with Scorpius. He felt the similar sense of relaxation when he was around her, and she certainly provided less of a challenge for his self control, since he wasn't fighting the urge to kiss her every time she spoke.

She was also the funniest person he had met other than his best friend. After several slow dances that had gone surprisingly well, mainly because she had seized him by the waist and led him through the motions, they had taken a seat and were drinking grapefruit juice topped up with a touch of vodka.

"I've never had alcohol before," giggled Selena, and Albus could tell. She had gone from demure and quiet to chatty and playful in the space of a few minutes. He noticed with pleasure the way her developing breasts heaved out of her dress and tried to avert his eyes. Harry had tried to teach him about being a gentleman, and despite squirming with embarrassment during the conversation to the point where he blocked out everything his father was saying, Albus was quite sure the advice hadn't been to leer at the cleavage of his date. Problem was, once he noticed her chest it was hard to stop his eyes flickering compulsively back to it every few seconds.

They got several minutes of mileage out of making pithy, amusing comments about various couples who were on the dance floor, and collapsed into laughter when Scorpius mouthed "Help" over to them, looking as if we was being squeezed half to death by the vice like grip of his date.

"Shall we go and save him?" asked Selena. "Do you want to have another dance?"

"Erm...not really," Albus was forced to admit. "Dancing isn't really my thing."

"So what is _your thing_ ," Selena said with a inquisitive smile.

 _Kissing Scorpius_ , thought Albus involuntarily. He punched his thigh, annoyed with himself. Here he was in the company of a beautiful girl who seemed to like him and he was still thinking about his friend, even though Scorpius had made it clear he only wanted friendship not romance, fun rather than love.

"Are you just planning to get me wasted on vodka and then have your wicked way with me?" said Selena mischievously. "Is that your thing?"

"No!" said Albus, offended.

"I was joking, don't worry," Selena laughed. "I know you're too much of a gentleman for that."

Albus wondered if she was expecting him to kiss her. It was hard to believe she was younger than him; she seemed so sure of herself, leading the conversation and controlling the evening. He felt like a helpless child next by comparison.

"Selena," he said in a low voice, feeling his cheeks blushing with nerves. As she turned to face him, he moved forward tentatively. Their lips were about to meet when a hyperactive boy of thirteen leaped over their table, knocking glasses flying and careering into Albus, sending both him and his chair falling backwards. It was Selena's twin Paris Black.

"Hey Albus! Hey sis!" he grinned, as they clambered to their feet and dusted themselves off. "Not interrupting anything am I?" he said innocently, oblivious to the tender moment he had just disrupted.

"No," said Selena raising her eyebrows.

"Why aren't you two dancing?" asked Paris, and Albus blushed slightly again.

"Why aren't _you_ with your date?" countered Selena.

"Gilderoy Lockhart says it is rude to answer a question with a question!" exclaimed Paris.

"He also says he gets his abdominal muscles by doing five hundred sit ups every morning," said Albus, "But I heard from my father that he has merely put a bewitchment on his torso that transfigures his flabby beer gut into a ripped six pack, so I wouldn't take much notice of what he has to say.

"Eeeeexactly," said Serena as if that settled things. "So come on, where _is_ your date?"

"Left me," said Paris miserably. "She wouldn't even give me a dance. Said she had a headache and had to go to bed. She left just before Scorpius did."

"Wait, Scorpius has left?" said Albus with a frown.

"Yeah. Said he needed to find someone. It must have been urgent, because he was walking really fast and he left that girl he was getting off with while she was at the bar getting him a drink."

"Wonder where he has gone," said Albus bemusedly, glancing at the dance floor where Rebecca Nelson was holding two drinks and swiveling on the spot looking confused.

"She's going to throw a terrible fit when she realises he has stood her up," said Selena with a hint of excitement in her voice. "I can't wait to see it! She has got an awful temper apparently. Set a Devil's Snare on her last boyfriend who cheated on her, nearly got her thrown out of the school!"

"Hmm," said Albus. Scorpius had been excited about the Yule Ball for weeks - he was desperate to know why his friend and suddenly left halfway through.

"Why don't you go and look for Scorpius, make sure he is alright?"said Selena, reading his mind.

Albus hesitated. He didn't want to have to choose between Scorpius and Selena tonight – he knew who he _should_ put first – Selena - and he knew who he _would_ put first if push came to shove – Scorpius. He considered leaping to his feet and setting off to find his friend. But then he remembered Harry's conversation about how to be a gentleman, and the offhand way Scorpius had treated him after they kissed on the lake.

"Nah," he said. "I'm happy here with you." He reached under the table and held her hand, taken aback by his own boldness.

"Urgh," exclaimed Paris who was sat between them. "Get a room."

"I know you're happy here with me," Selena said with a smile, lifting Albus' hand and putting it back on the table. "But he is your best friend. You should try and find him and see if he is alright. I won't be offended."

"No," said Albus firmly. "I can't leave you on your own."

"I'm not on my own," said Selena with a grin, ruffling the hair of her twin brother Paris. "Come on bro, _I'll_ dance with you," and they set off skipping and laughing towards the dance floor, scattering the crowd and forcing couples who were kissing romantically to leap aside as they jumped around energetically. Albus watched them with a rueful smile, which turned into a loud guffaw as they crashed into Rebecca Nelson who went flying, spilling red cherry punch all over her white trouser suit. She jumped to her feet and starting screaming in rage, and several teachers were forced to restrain her as she waved her fists at Selena and Paris who were dancing the waltz almost crying with laughter,.

Feeling this was a good time to depart, Albus took one final swig of his vodka and grapefruit juice and headed out of the ball to find his best friend.


	6. Chapter 6: Taken For A Fool

Albus shivered as he hurried down the stone corridor that led away from the Great Hall. The close fitting black dress robes that Scorpius had bought him might have looked stylish, but they were not designed for the cold, stone, sparsely heated passages of the castle on a snowy December evening.

Albus was still bemused as to why Scorpius had disappeared so suddenly from the party. Scorpius had been looking forward to the Yule Ball excitedly for weeks, and was usually the last one in bed at such gatherings. The previous year he had tried firewhisky for the first time and stayed up singing songs in the common room until 4AM, collapsed on the floor in uncontrollable laughter, the room spinning before him. He had only gone to bed because a prefect had demanded he stop - Albus had to be woken up to reason with his friend, since he was the only one Scorpius would listen to. Albus had scooped him up and staggered up the steps to the dormitory straining under the weight of his friend. He smiled at the memory.

Tonight had been the polar opposite. Scorpius had scowled through most of the proceedings and drifted away not long after they had arrived. Partly this could be explained by his disastrous date, a conceited girl called Rebecca Nelson with whom he had nothing in common. But Albus had still expected him to stay until the ball finished; Scorpius was blunt and arrogant enough to ditch his date and ask other girls to dance if Rebecca had irritated him that much.

"Ouch!" Lost in thought, Albus had managed to walk into another student and knock them over. "Sorry, I didn't see you," he muttered as he helped the boy to his feet. It was James Creevey, a sixth year and the star chaser for the Griffindor Quidditch team. "Are you OK?"

"Fine," said James, shaking out his right arm, which had taken the brunt of the blow when he fell to the floor. "What about you?" James had put his elbow up instinctively when Albus rushed towards him and had caught hi square in the face.

"Yeah, I'll live," said Albus, feeling a tender bump appear on his forehead already.

"Hang on, why aren't you at the ball?" said James, somewhat accusatory. "I thought you were going with Selena – you haven't left her by herself?"

James was very protective of his fellow members of the Griffindor Quidditch team, and had a particular soft spot for Selena. He justified it to himself by reasoning that she was the youngest member of the team – he was being protective, like an older brother. It saved him from admitting the truth, that he was as infatuated with Selena as everyone else who met her. As a sixth year prefect, it did not do to be professing your attraction to a second year, even one who looked so mature.

"What's it to you?" said Albus, more aggressively than he had meant to.

"Nothing – except that she is a member of my house, and as a prefect I have a responsibility to look after the younger students."

 _And you fancy her_ , thought Albus.

"I left her with her brother, if you must know. So you'll have to get past him if you want to chat her up."

"I...you...what on earth are you talking about?!" spluttered James unconvincingly, going bright red. "I was worried for her safety, that was all!"

"Well, she is dancing with her brother, surrounded by the whole school and a load of teachers, so you can stop worrying."

"Well...good," said James lamely. He looked so embarrassed and flustered that Albus felt a little ashamed of calling him out – James was one of the nicer pupils at the school, and actually made an effort to engage Albus in conversation, when most students ignored him, put off by his brooding exterior. Or else only wanted to know him because of his father.

"Nice shoes," said Albus in a conciliatory tone, noting the sleek, shiny black brogues James was wearing under his dress robes.

"Oh, thank you," replied James, returning to his bright smile. "I purchased them at Gladrags in Hogsmeade. So why _aren't_ you at the ball – did you get bored and decide to leave? I don't blame you, not much of a dancer myself to tell you the truth."

"No," said Albus. "Scorpius disappeared, so I've come to look for him. You haven't see him have you?"

"Afraid not," said James. "Have you tried the common room?"

"Not yet," said Albus. "How come _you_ aren't at the ball? Didn't you go with Alice Fairweather?"

"Yes, I'm just heading back there now. I was just making sure Rose Weasley was alright – she got stood up by her date, you know. Alice found her crying in a bathroom, and we took her back to the Griffindor common room. She was in a bit of a state, to be honest. Had been drinking straight rum, vomited all over the statue of Gregory the Smarmy. I didn't have the heart to dock her any house points, given how upset she was..."

"Is she alright?" said Albus with concern.

"She will be," said James sagely. "Needs some sleep and a few days to get over the humiliation of being stood up. Left her up there by the fire. Anyway, must be off – me and Alice want to get the last dance to the orchestra, before they put on that dreadful techno music!"

And with that James trotted away towards the Great Hall with a cheery wave.

Albus sighed and considered his dilemma. If his cousin was crying in the Griffindor common room, it seemed rather cold of him to leave her there all alone. Rose had always been there for him at Hogwarts, always tried to include him and get him out of himself, even if he did find it irritating occasionally when he just wanted to be left alone to lie on his bed and read.

Then again, Scorpius could be in trouble, wandering the castle alone – at least he knew Rose was safe. Albus dawdled for what seemed like an eternity trying to decide which way the pendulum would fall – his distraught cousin, or the best friend that she hated. If only the two most important people in his life had been on better terms, he thought bitterly. Then, he could have met Rose first and enlisted her to help in the search for Scorpius. Unfortunately, she made no secret of how much she despised his friend, and in particular his family with their dark shadowy past. She disapproved strongly of the friendship Albus shared with him.

Eventually the twin twinges of desire and curiosity swung the matter – Albus desired to be with the best friend he was quietly falling in love with, and was also curious to see where Scorpius had got to. _He's probably just in the Slytherin common room getting wasted_ , thought Albus, and feeling slightly ashamed to have abandoned his cousin for his own gratification he set off down towards the dungeons.

Forty five minutes of searching later he was forced to admit he was stumped. He had checked every corner of the castle, every freezing cold passage, every secluded bathroom. He had even checked Moaning Myrtle's disgusting cubicle, but all that was in there were stained discarded plastic bags, puddles of dirty looking water and a rusting razor blade.

At least all the rushing around had warmed him up, although this was short lived – as soon as he slipped quietly out of the front door of the castle he was met by a blizzard, as swirling winds whipped thick, icy snowflakes at his face. Albus cursed his stupidity for not picking up a warm coat when he was checking their dormitory – in his rush he hadn't even thought about it.

He had decided to check their secret cabin in the Forbidden Forest as a last resort. Albus felt sure Scorpius wouldn't have braved a blizzard to go and sit there alone. They had always been gone together before, talking and drinking and laughing. It was their refuge from the world. Still, there didn't seem to be anywhere else to check, so with a sigh Albus walked out into the snowy night.

Albus could barely see five metres in front of him as he battled through the weather. Snow was settling quickly on the floor, hampering his process as he crunched methodically along. Using a compass spell he was able to use his wand to guide him in the general direction in which he needed to go, but the snow seemed to be getting thicker down this path, and at one point it slipped over and into his boots, soaking his socks and causing them to squelch unpleasantly as he powered on. His face was almost numb from the cold, and if he hadn't kept flexing his fingers he was sure his hand would have seized up.

The Yule Ball had obviously escalated – he could hear glitchy dance music echoing through the air, making him feel slightly unsettled. When he turned to look back at the majestic castle he could just decipher through the blizzard some spectacular strobe lights of every colour shooting from the huge Georgian windows in the Great Hall.

It was with relief that he finally arrived at the thick pocket of trees at the entrance to the forest.

" _Lumos_ ," he muttered, and by the light of his wand he was able to walk quickly through the pine trees to their secret hideout. The snow hadn't been able to penetrate the thick, evergreen branches of the trees and it was much easier from this point, Albus breaking into a trot, flattening bracken and snapping twigs on the ground.

Albus & Scorpius had put enchantments that only they knew around the clearing, to stop it being discovered. Albus tapped the bewitched conifer tree at the entrance with his wand, and whispered the password _"amicus meus"_. The tree bent slightly to let him through into a small spherical clearing with a cozy wooden cabin in the centre.

With a jolt of excitement Albus could see the light of a flame flickering under the door – Scorpius _was_ here after all. He didn't know what gave him more satisfaction – the thought that he would soon be seeing his best friend or the fact that his arduous journey through the snow had not been wasted. Albus fully intended to lay on the sob story when he got inside – he could get plenty of mileage and sympathy out of his sodden footwear and frozen hands.

 _I hope he has brought some firewhisky_ , thought Albus. _And some lube,_ said a little voice in his head, which he pushed aside with a grin.

He crept up to the entrance, hoping to surprise Scorpius. Albus was in a playful mood, intending to make Scorpius jump out of his skin in fright - it would serve him right for abandoning him at the ball. Feeling a flutter of anticipation in his stomach, he took a swig of Volcanic Vodka, relishing the fiery burning sensation as it dripped down his throat.

Albus opened the door silently and his stomach gave a sudden lurch that had nothing to do with the industrial strength liquor he had just consumed.

Scorpius was on top of someone, kissing them furiously, his robes hitched up to reveal his underwear. Frozen in shock, Albus could not admire the perfect curvature of his friends bum, outlined through the almost transparent white boxer shorts. He couldn't admire the sublime firmness of the thighs. He couldn't admire the blond hair illuminated by a flickering flame, wet with sweat.

He couldn't admire any of this, because there was a pale hand running down the back of Scorpius' thighs, grasping his buttocks, reaching inside the white cotton – the hand of Rose Weasley.

For a moment Albus was innate with shock. Then Rose gave a slight scream at seeing him silhouetted in the doorway, pale and soaking wet framed against the snowy storm. Scorpius turned his head around, and in the brief moment Albus made eye contact he saw a mingle of surprise and embarrassment in the eyes of the blond boy. Rose rolled out from underneath Scorpius and hitched her dress up, seemingly at a loss for words.

Albus didn't wait for an explanation – he turned on his heel and ran away. He rushed back through the forbidden forest, tripping over branches, grazing both his knees, the snow mingling with tears running down his face. The only light was that created by the thin sliver of ice on the forest floor, and Albus ran head on into a thick bramble bush, which ripped his expensive robes to pieces and embedded thorns in his arm leaving trickles of blood running at all angles. He collapsed face down on the forest floor and wept for a brief moment, before picking himself up and breaking into a run again – he didn't want Scorpius or Rose to catch up with him, didn't want to have to face them, show them what it had meant to him to see that scene.

Slipping and sliding, he finally made his way back up to the castle door. The corridors were now busy with life, people leaving the ball and walking back to their dormitories. He heard several voices call after him, concerned about the trail of blood he was leaving on the floor and his shredded robes which were wet through with the torrents of snow that had engulfed him. He ran breathlessly back up to the common room and straight up the stone steps to his dormitory, ignoring the dozens of heads that turned around in shock at the site of this bedraggled, bloody figure sprinting into the Slytherin dungeons. He lunged into his dormitory and locked the door firmly behind him, ignoring the loud knocks and the voices bellowing from behind the oak asking if he was alright.

The dormitory was mercifully empty, sparing him further questioning. He took his ruined robes off, throwing them savagely on the floor, and staggered into the bathroom trying to recover himself. After ten minutes under a boiling shower he had finally warmed through, although the icy knife that was prodding at his heart continued to twist.

He didn't know why he was so upset – he had always expected this to happen. Even when Rose was disparaging and insulting about Scorpius there was something in her eyes that had made Albus think she might secretly enjoy the attention his friend gave her. He was blond, athletic, unmistakably beautiful – she was fiery, warm, with flowing red hair and a wonderfully proportioned body. The best looking boy and girl in the year. Even with Rose's hatred of everything associated with the word Malfoy, Albus had still thought it a distinct possibility that they would end up together.

Not that any of that compensated for the shock of seeing them there, tonight. Albus turned the shower off, enjoyed the silence for a minute, and then wrapped a towel around himself and cleaned his teeth. The more normal he acted, the sooner he got back into routine, the quicker he could forget about this whole night.

His stomach lurched for at least the third time in the last hour when he exited the bathroom – Scorpius was sat on the edge of his bed. He looked contrite, ashamed; his eyes had lost their glint of humor and life.

Albus had planned to dive under his sheets, thrust the curtains shut and go to sleep without talking to anyone, especially Scorpius. But since his friend was perched on top of his duvet this was not a possibility.

His face was already glowing pink from the hot water in the shower, and now it blushed a dark shade of maroon. Albus wished he could act normally, nonchalantly, crack jokes and laugh about the awkwardness of it all like most boys would if they walked in on their best friend in a compromising position with a girl. He wished he could give a wide smile and say "Nice one mate, she is hot!" like Vince Crane would have done. But he had never been able to hide his emotions, and he felt only bitterness and resentment.

"Good fuck, was she," he said gritted teeth.

"I didn't fuck her," said Scorpius.

"Must be losing your touch," spat Albus. "Looked like you were onto a sure thing there. But then again, you seem to like leading people on and then backing out at the last minute."

"I'm sorry mate, I really am."

"Sorry for what? You got what you wanted. Finally took the beautiful prom queen Rose Weasley to bed."

"I already told you, we didn't go to bed."

"Well, no," said Albus. "There isn't a bed in there. Why would there me - it was OUR place. Remember what we said when we built it – a place just for the two of us, nobody else allowed, a place to shut the world out and be together. They were just meaningless words to you. Nothing means anything in your world. Turns out you only wanted it so you had a convenient place to take your little whore back to."

As soon as he had said this Albus regretted it. Rose had treated him with immense kindness, and here he was throwing disgusting insults at her – just because she had kissed his friend. _She_ wasn't in the wrong, _she_ didn't know how close Albus and Scorpius had become, how confused their relationship was.

"Take that back!" said Scorpius hotly. "She's not a whore – how can you say that about your own cousin. Show some respect."

Albus walked to the window and stared out of it, close to tears, knowing he was in the wrong.

"Suppose that is the only reason you were friends with me," he said miserably. "So you could get close to my cousin."

"Don't be ridiculous," said Scorpius. "Do you really think I'd spend four years hanging around with you just to try and get close to a girl who hated my guts? None of this was planned. It just happened."

"Just happened did it? Just happened when you slipped out of the Yule Ball and conveniently disappeared to have your cozy little private party."

"It wasn't like that," said Scorpius angrily. "While Rebecca and I were getting drinks one of Rose's friends told me she had been stood up and was crying in a bathroom. I went to look for her to make sure she was alright. I tracked her down in the Griffindor common room. We aren't allowed in there, so I suggested we went down to our place in the forest so she could have some privacy while she recovered herseld. She was upset and we started drinking. One thing led to another. She feels awful about it, didn't even speak to me when we left to try and find you. She is really upset, you know."

" _I'm_ fucking upset," shouted Albus. "But you don't give a toss about that. Everything that happened at the lake last month...we are meant to just ignore it, pretend that it never happened? Because I can't anymore. It meant something to me. I realize it was nothing to you, just a way to waste time on a boring evening, just another game to be played...I just wish you'd stop playing your games with me."

"It wasn't nothing. It meant something to me as well," said Scorpius quietly, looking once again jittery and tired. He was shivering violently, the alcohol wearing off. He went to stand up and suddenly his legs gave out from under him and he dropped to his knees, managing to stagger over to his own bed where he dry heaved.

"Are you alright?" said Albus, unable to hide the fear and concern on his face.

"Feel a bit ill to be honest," said Scorpius weakly, shivering more than ever.

"Good," spat Albus, climbing into his own duvet and with a flick of his wand closing the curtains so he was hidden from view.

 _"Silencio_ ," he whispered, creating a soundproof ring around his bed. He prayed that the spell had worked, so Scorpius wouldn't hear his loud, dejected sobs as he cried himself to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7: I'll Try Anything Once

It took Albus nearly a week to recover from the resentment that had invaded his soul. He felt, whether justly or not, that Scorpius had betrayed him. The moment they had shared on the lake only a month ago was permanently etched upon his mind, their bodies pressed close together, engulfed in a fire of passion and lust. He could not simply dismiss it as meaningless fun or natural experimentation or the product of boredom, the way Scorpius was able to. It had meant everything to Albus, and seeing his friend kiss Rose with the same passion had tarnished the memory.

Albus had never felt more isolated. His brother James, noticing that his brother seemed even quieter and more broody than usual, tried to make him feel better by including him in activities. Paris Black buzzed around him, telling jokes, suggesting adventures, but even his indefatigable self had to give up by the third day, when the black cloud surrounding Albus threatened to suffocate him as well.

"You've got a face longer than a double History of Magic lesson," he had complained, and sprinted away to ice skate on the Quidditch pitch, which had been turned into a rink for the last week of term.

In the midst of all this misery, Albus had somehow stumbled into his second kiss with a girl. One snowy morning he had been explaining to Selena Black the events that had occurred on the night he left the Yule Ball - albeit a slightly modified version. In the restructured narrative, discovering Scorpius and Rose in the throes of an amorous embrace had been a source of great comedy to Albus, and the reason he was no longer on speaking terms with Scorpius was because he had been teasing him about it so often. This was necessary because Selena had asked why he hadn't been seen with his best friend all week – Albus and Scorpius had been attached at the hip for so many years that people were prone to notice if they spent even a day apart.

"Had a lovers tiff, have we?" mocked Rickon Waddle in potions, when he noticed the two boys sat at opposite sides of the room. "Getting a divorce?"

"Your jaw will get a divorce from your face if you don't shut up," said Scorpius coldly, glancing over at Albus who fixed his gaze firmly on his cauldron sulkily.

In the middle of explaining himself to Selena that morning, she had lazily cast her head to the sky to view the enchanted ceiling which was still releasing glittering ornamental snow. Her eyes suddenly glazed over.

"Mistletoe," she murmured, noticing the green wreath swinging above us.

"Oh, cool," said Albus, arching his head upwards and suddenly feeling very nervous. He blushed momentarily, frozen on the spot.

Before he could act Selena's arms were around his neck, she was standing on tiptoes and leaning up towards him. She greeted him like a friend at first, with a platonic peck on the cheek. And as he smiled anxiously she drew his lips in for a long, slow kiss. He loved the warmth of her gums, the sweet flavors of cinnamon and molasses, the skillful tongue that seemed to caress every part of his mouth.

Unfortunately Scorpius had chosen just that moment to walk into breakfast, side by side with Vince Crane. While Crane let out a whoop of delight , clenched his fist in mock celebration and gave a clearly audible "Get in there, Albus!", Scorpius could only manage to raise his eyebrows and shake his head. After a week of feeling guilty about supposedly betraying his friend by getting off with a girl in the privacy of his own cabin, Albus was now having languorous kisses with a female admirer in the middle of the Great Hall. Hypocrisy had always angered Scorpius, and he ate his toast with seething venom that morning, as if every bite he tore off was a finger on Albus' hand.

For his part, Albus had scurried away greatly embarrassed, having to apologise to Selena for walking out on her for the second time in a week. He was forced to spend a torturous morning starving in double transfiguration having not had any breakfast.

Scorpius had been suffering himself since the night of the ball. He and Rose went pink with embarrassment when they passed each other in the corridors, and had not spoken since their drunken clinch. He wasn't sure how he felt about the whole situation – he had fantasized about getting off with Rose ever since they started school together aged eleven, but now it had happened everything had gone so weird. It had cost him the company of his best friend, and he absolutely nothing to show for it. If anything, Rose seemed to dislike him now more than ever; he had almost preferred it when she had belittled him and been openly hostile. The current silent treatment hurt far more than any offhand insult she might throw at him.

Weirdly, he found that now he had kissed Rose, now he had felt her slim body pushed against the floor underneath him, now he had felt her flowing red hair intertwined in his lips as he tried to kiss her, his passion for her had somehow dissipated. He no longer dreamed about her pale body, or her gradually swelling breasts, or the tufts of ginger hair above the entrance he had been so desperate to penetrate. The idle dream had been better than the harsh reality. Their interrupted drunken fumble in the cold was a far cry from the romantic love making he had always envisioned them having. The trouble the whole thing had caused seemed to sully it all, and though a flicker of the hormonal lust still remained, he no longer found the prospect of dating her attractive. Certainly not if it meant losing his best friend.

In fact, Scorpius was surprised to find that his daydreams were starting to turn constantly towards Albus. After only a couple of days of not talking he realised how lonely he felt without his reassuring best friend. He was desperate to talk to Albus, to sit by the fire playing chess and shutting the world out. Albus asked nothing from him, let him be himself without any artifice or ego.

Stranger still, Scorpius' thoughts were constantly straying back to that fateful night at the lake, and every time he cast his mind over it he felt a weird stirring in his loins. He found his mind drifting in lessons, thinking of his fingers running over that smooth, skinny body, and their tongues entangling in each others mouths. He was surprised to realise that nothing gave him a feeling of serenity like imagining falling asleep next to his friend, curled up together, sharing their warmth.

Scorpius had always admired Albus from what he thought was an objective standpoint, like a painter surveying his subject. He liked the depth in those green eyes, the shade of definition on his smooth torso, the soft jet black hair. Now he wondered whether admiration was morphing into something else.

Still, Scorpius wasn't one to dwell on emotions, and tried to use distraction therapy when he felt these thoughts coming along, contemplating Quidditch tactics or Charms homework instead. He didn't want to become the clichéd angst ridden teenager, analysing every desire and feeling. And he wasn't gay, he was confident of that. His sexual thoughts were entirely focused towards the female gender, with only one exception: Albus.

Albus had decided he was not going home for Christmas. His relationship with his father had been at an all time low lately, and in any case he didn't want to inflict his own miserable mood on the rest of his family and spoil their day. He sent Harry a message by first class owl informing of him of the decision, explaining that he wanted to stay at the castle and study, to monitor some potions he had been brewing.

The reply arrived speedily. Harry and Ginny tried desperately to persuade Albus to come home for the holidays, saying that Christmas would not be the same without him. Albus wrote back rather tersely, reminding his parents that they were always nagging him to study more, yet now when he was actually showing some dedication they were instead trying to drag him away from his learning. He also noted that Harry had spent years reminiscing about the Christmas holidays that _he_ had spent at Hogwarts, so it seemed rather hypocritical to deny Albus the same pleasure of Christmas in the castle.

"That was because dad had nowhere else to go when he was at school," protested James. "You have a family. Uncle Ron and Auntie Hermione are coming as well; you don't want to miss out on the present bonanza!"

This was another reason for Albus to stay away – the last thing he wanted was to make small talk with Rose around the dinner table, pretending that every time he glanced at her he didn't see her startled face looking up from beneath Scorpius and her hand caressing his ass.

Rose seemed to sense this, and after James told her that Albus was staying at school over the holidays, made another attempt to change his mind.

"Come on," she cajoled in an unnaturally jolly voice. "Me and James need an ally, to stop all the grownups getting tipsy and insisting we watch those awful Muggle comedy programs together as a family."

"Sorry, but my mind is made up," said Albus, swiftly changing the conversation to the mountains of homework they had received that week.

"It is because of what happened between me and Scorpius?" asked Rose eventually – it was clear by her expression she had been meaning to confront this issue for a while, and had just built up the courage.

"No, of course not," said Albus defensively. "Why would it be?"

"I don't know. You seemed pretty upset after what happened."

"You'd be upset if you had walked for a mile in a blizzard hoping to find some warmth and alcohol, and instead stumbling across a scene from a second rate porn movie."

Rose blushed, but blustered on.

"Are you sure it was just that? You two are so close. I don't want to come between you."

"Well Scorpius certainly wants to come between _you_. Your legs, anyway."

"You're an asshole sometimes, do you know that?" said Rose angrily. "Nothing is going on between us. It was a drunken kiss, that's all. I can't believe how childish you are, pathetic really. Maybe you're just jealous because I've kissed him and you haven't."

And with that she stalked off, adding a second name to the growing list of people who Albus wasn't talking to.

Perhaps proving that blood is thicker than water, Albus and Rose had made up by the next day.

"Sorry for what I said," muttered Rose, handing over a huge box wrapped neatly in glittering Slytherin branded wrapping paper.

"You must be sorry if you;re spending money on Slytherin merchandise just to make it up to me," replied Albus with a smile.

"I know, I hope nobody from Griffindor saw me buying it!"

Albus unwrapped it to find a huge food hamper, filled with every variety of sweet available in the wizarding world, as well as rare fudges and chocolates.

"Thought you needed fattening up," said Rose. "They can keep you company at Christmas when you're here all alone."

"I won't be alone," said Albus, "Most of the teachers are staying too, and some other pupils."

Soon they were greedily tearing into the hamper, sat cross legged on the floor with wrappers strewn around them.

"Has...has Scorpius asked about me?" Rose asked tentatively, as if fearful of the reaction in might provoke..

"No," said Albus dismissively, feeling ashamed of the twinge of pleasure he felt as he watched her face fall, unable to conceal her disappointment. Albus failed to mention that he had not actually spoken to his friend since the incident. "Why would he mention you - it was just a drunken kiss, wasn't it? That's what you said."

"Well, it was...of course it was. I just wondered if he had said anything...didn't want things to be awkward."

Albus let out an audible snort. "When have things _not_ been awkward between you two?"

"Well don't blame me for that," she said hotly. "It isn't my fault his father was an evil bastard who tried to kill our parents."

"How is that Scorpius' fault? You don't choose your parents."

They had been through this argument so many times it seemed pointless to bicker about it again.

"Look, I'm sure he is just embarrassed about the situation, that's all," said Albus, attempting to steer the conversation into calmer waters. The last thing he needed was another argument. "You've disliked each other for so long, it must be weird."

"He doesn't look embarrassed, swaggering around the school with his Quidditch cronies, making loud obscene jokes, probably about me."

"Maybe that is his way of hiding his embarrassment?" suggested Albus with a sigh.

Noticing the sudden look of weariness on her cousins face, Rose left the subject and they spent another happy hour gluttonously forcing down chunks of gloriously creamy fudge, unpredictable every flavour beans and toffee chews that expanded in the mouth until they exploded.

"I think I need to be sick," gulped Rose, and lurched away to the girls bathroom.

Selena accosted Albus as he was walking to breakfast the next morning. They hadn't spoken since they shared a kiss under the mistletoe, and Albus felt distinctly flustered. Selena, on the other hand, was far too graceful for anything as vulgar as awkwardness, and gave him her usual alluring smile.

It was the last day of term, and there was a real buzz around the castle, with students excited to be going home for the holidays. The sky outside was a piercing blue, and winter sun streamed through the windows of the Great Hall. Lessons finished at 2PM, and most were planning to spend their final afternoon on the ice rink or gathered around fires drinking butter beer.

"You look tired," said Selena.

"Didn't get much sleep again," muttered Albus.

"Well, don't fall asleep this afternoon," said Selena. "Meet me in the storeroom on the sixth floor at two o'clock. We're going to hit the ice."

"If we're going ice skating why do we need to meet all the way up there?" said Albus doubtfully. "Can't we just meet in the entrance hall?"

"Nope, I need to borrow some skates from the supplies in there."

"Right, OK," said Albus, unable to think of an excuse not to. "I'm blaming you if I fall over and cut myself. I'm even worse at ice skating than I am at dancing..."

"It's a date!" said Selena brightly, before she glided away.

So after his final charms lesson was over, Albus dragged himself up the many winding staircases of the castle to the sixth floor, stopping briefly in a bathroom to try and sort his hair out, which was refusing to be contorted in any sort of stylish shape. He fumbled for some everlasting breath spray buried in the inside pocket of his robes, a birthday gift from Scorpius which gave your mouth a fresh, minty odor for several days. Fumbling with the tube, he dropped it on the floor and crinkled his face as he picked it up from on top of a small plastic bag covered in a sort of white residue.

As he approached the entrance to the storeroom, he saw Selena waiting outside, looking at her watch impatiently. And then, walking from the other direction, he saw the unmistakable outline of a figure with white blond hair, pale skin and a graceful, slightly arrogant walk. Scorpius Malfoy.

Selena gave a self satisfied smile as they came to a halt either side of her.

"What's he doing here!?" said the two boys in unison.

"You're both here to kiss and make up," she said imperiously.

"What! You told me we were coming up here to find Lockhart's hidden wine stash!" said Scorpius in confusion.

"You told me we were going ice skating!" exclaimed Albus angrily.

"Did I?" replied Selena innocently. "I meant ice melting. I thought you two could thaw your friendship out in here."

And with surprising strength and agility, she shoved both boys through the entrance into the storeroom, and with a flick of her wand made the door fly shut and the lock click.

"I'll be back later," she called cheerily to the enraged boys who were now pressed up against one and other in the tiny store cupboard.

Albus conjured a light and walked towards the door.

 _"Alhomora,"_ he shouted, but the lock remained firmly shut. "She must have put a bloody lock sticking charm on it!" He kicked the door a couple of times, but it refused to move and eventually he was forced to concede defeat. He perched on a tin of spider repellent paint and glowered across the tiny space at his blond friend.

"I suppose this was your idea," he said bitterly.

"Oh yeah, definitely," said Scorpius sarcastically, who was leaning against a wall at the back of the tiny rectangular room. "There's nothing I like more than spending my leisure time imprisoned in store cupboards. Something of a fetish of mine, to tell you the truth..."

They sat in silence for twenty minutes, until eventually Scorpius sighed and said "Look mate, I'm sorry. I really am. I shouldn't have taken Rose to our hidden place. If I'd known you were going to walk in...well, I didn't think anyone would bother to look for me when I left the ball. You seemed like you were having a perfectly good time without me."

"I never have a good time without you," said Albus quietly.

"You never have a good time, period! You're a right miserable bastard!" said Scorpius, with his mischievous smile.

"Of course I'm miserable; I spend most of my free time with you," countered Albus with a grin, and the ice was finally broken.

The conversation went in varying spurts, sometimes filled with juvenile banter, sometimes filled with serious talk.

"So...do you love Rose?" asked Albus with a gulp, fearing the answer.

"I don't know," said Scorpius honestly. "I don't think so. Mostly I think I wanted her because she didn't want me, in a weird way. Sort of a challenge...and it felt like if she finally accepted me after what my father put her family through...then maybe the world would be able to accept me as well."

"Stop being dramatic - the world adores you," scoffed Albus. "You're the most popular kid in school."

"Well, with a face as gorgeous as mine it is inevitable," joked Scorpius, flicking his hair to the side with an ironic flourish.

"Nah, they just all feel sorry for you because you're such a delusional mentalist," grinned Albus.

"Let's not let anyone come in between us again," said Scorpius, suddenly serious.

"Deal," said Albus.

"Shall we hug it out?"

"Go on then," said Albus with mock resignation.

He pulled Scorpius into a tight embrace, burying his head in his shoulder, feeling all the stress and misery of the last week flow out of him. They stayed there for several minutes, neither willing to let go.

"Ugh, I want to vomit," said Selena, surveying the scene from the open doorway. "So damn cute!" Neither Albus or Scorpius had noticed her come back into the room.

Filled with happiness and a newfound energy, Albus and Scorpius insisted on taking Selena down to the ice skating rink, where the three of them skidded around hand in hand screaming and laughing. With the bracing winter air against his face, the fading sun in the blue sky and the exhilaration of skating across the ice at high velocity, Albus wasn't sure he had ever felt so free or joyful or alive.

Their reverie was interrupted with a shout and a crash at the other end of the rink. Out of the corner of his eye, Albus had noticed with a wry smile Paris Black chatting up some much older girls and attempting a running back flip on the ice to impress them. He had managed to perform the spectacular acrobatic maneuver with some distinction, but upon landing had toppled to the floor and found his momentum taking him in an uncontrollable skid towards the foot of a Quidditch goalpost. The crunch of body on steel inevitably followed, the post embedding itself plum between his legs.

Albus tried not to laugh as he and Selena skated over to see Paris lying prostate, clearly in considerable pain. He was banging his feet against the ice and holding the sensitive region of his crotch with a look of utmost shock in his eyes. Scorpius looked on, unable to suppress a smile as Albus helped Paris to his feet, and then unsteady and unskilled on his own skates fell to the ground himself, dragging his young injured friend with him and giving the two of them grazed elbows to go with Paris' more tender injury. Eventually, they were all hauled up rather farcically by the gaggle of girls Paris had been trying to impress and an exasperated looking Selena, and helped to the edge of the pitch.

Scorpius was still laughing when he felt a tap on his shoulder, and heard a female voice behind him.

"Hi," said Rose Weasley, skating around to face him.

"Oh, hello," he said with surprise in his voice.

"What's happening over there?" she asked.

"Just Albus and Paris sliding around on the ice, with painful results" he replied.

"Ouch," said Rose, squinting to see Albus rubbing his bleeding elbow in the distance. "Look...I just wanted to say sorry," she added nervously.

"For what?" said Scorpius.

"For the way I've been to you the last four years. I know I've taken my feelings for your father out on you. And that isn't fair."

"I'm nothing like my father, you know," said Scorpius.

"I know," said Rose. "Albus thinks the world of you – and he is as good a judge of character as anyone I know."

"Draco isn't a danger to anyone now," said Scorpius. "Unless you're worried about death by boredom – I've never felt the Cruciatus Curse but it can't be a worse form of torture than listening to him drone on about precious metals with alchemic properties for an hour."

"I think I'll always be a bit scared of your father because of what he put my parents through...but that doesn't mean _we_ can't be friends...if you want to be, that is..."

"Yeah, definitely," said Scorpius warmly, feeling in the festive spirit.

Rose came closer and gave him a kiss on his pale, smooth cheek.

"See you after Christmas," she said, skating away. Scorpius watched her loom slowly into the distance, wondering whether to feel pleased, confused, exasperated or all three. He watched her stop and talk to Albus on the edge of the rink, give him and long hug and a kiss on the cheek, and then she was gone.

Albus and Scorpius had initially planned to spend their last evening together watching the annual festive performance put on by the teachers. This year, however, it had been hijacked by Gilderoy Lockhart. The script was repetitive in the extreme, and every scene appeared to be some variation on a formula which involved a person finding themselves in a life threatening situation, and being saved by the heroics of Lockhart, who would steam in at the last minute to fight off some kind of hideous monster.

Worse still, Lockhart had noticed Albus sitting in the back row, and kept giving him smug surreptitious winks from the stage. Albus groaned when this happened for the fourth time in only twenty minutes.

"This is boring," he muttered to Scorpius, who was shaking in silent laughter watching his friend grow more and more uncomfortable. "Shall we go?"

"If we must," said Scorpius. "Shame really, I was just enjoying watching you squirm. You'll be fending off his lecherous advances at the Christmas table if he has too much wine, he has taken a real shine to you..."

"He'll get a fork in the eye if he tries anything," vowed Albus. "That'll ruin his pretty face."

They returned to the deserted common room, which was silent except for the warm crackling of the fire in the grate. Albus yawned widely.

"I might go to bed early," he announced.

"Good idea, you do look tired," said Scorpius. "Shall I read you a story and tuck you in?"

"Of course."

They headed upstairs to their empty dormitory, quickly washed and cleaned their teeth. Albus climbed into his bed, snuggling up to a hot water bottle, watching Scorpius gargle mouthwash loudly in the reflection of the bathroom mirror.

"So, what bedtime story are you reading to me then?" said Albus playfully as his friend returned in his green pajamas. "Do you actually own any books, other than the _Witch Weekly Guys Grooming Guide_?"

"I've got a very varied range of reading material as it happens," said Scorpius feigning annoyance. "In fact, I know just the right literary classic for this festive occasion."

He pulled out a battered copy of _Quidditch Queens Disrobed_ from under his bed, and perched on top of Albus' sheets. They shuffled until they were sat next to each other, leaning back against the bedstead, both with wide grins. Albus could already feel his erection throbbing, and it had nothing to do with the scantily clad ladies on the cover of the magazine.

For half an hour they flicked through the well worn pages, slipping their hands down pajama bottoms and rubbing their respective manhoods. Eventually Scorpius said, "Right, I'm going to bed." Albus knew this was because his friend was particularly turned on and wanted to relieve himself – they had just reached the centerfold of the magazine, which depicted famed seeker Sally Shemlock putting her broom handle in places where it definitely didn't belong.

"OK," yawned Albus. "Good night." He waited until Scorpius was back in bed before extinguishing the dorm lights with a wave of his wand. He enjoyed seeing the sizable rod of his friend prodding through his cotton bottoms as he climbed into his duvet. He was sure Scorpius had caught him looking out of the corner of his eye, and bitten his lip.

Now surrounded by darkness, Albus heard a swish of fabric as Scorpius closed the curtains surrounding his bed. Albus lay staring at the ceiling, slowly rubbing his penis, fantasizing about Scorpius kissing him gently, climbing on top of him, forcing himself inside him.

After several minutes he suddenly heard the unmistakable sound of hand on flesh, the squelch of a foreskin being forced up and down. Scorpius either thought Albus was asleep, or had simply forgotten to use the silencing charm to conceal his masturbation.

Albus felt his heart in his mouth, as he considered an act of daring as such he had never attempted before. He lay inert, trying to pluck up the courage for almost a minute, as he heard the breaths get heavier and the squelching get faster. Amazed by his own boldness, he pulled back his duvet, crept quietly to his feet and walked over to Scorpius' bed.

He pulled back the corner of the curtain and poked his head around it. Scorpius stopped instantly, a look of surprise and confusion on his face at the invasion of his privacy.

"Do you need a hand?" Albus murmured, looking at his friend almost pleadingly. Scorpius simply nodded. Albus felt his stomach drop in anticipation. He climbed onto the bed and shut the curtain behind him. Pulling back the duvet, he let out a moan of pure desire, as he saw Scorpius' long, firm length uncovered for the first time. Albus felt like he was going to come uncontrollably inside his own pajama bottoms if he couldn't contain himself; he had never felt such excitement or guttural desire.

He reached out with his soft right hand and grasped Scorpius' warm, erect cock, feeling his friend intake breath sharply at the contact. Albus looked down upon the cock hungrily, and began moving his hand up and down in slow, rhythmic motions, emboldened by the barely audible groans of pleasure Scorpius was emitting.

Albus began to lick his friends torso, tongue circling the nipples of Scorpius until they were completely stiffened, all the time still fondling and caressing his dick. At the pleasure of twin simulation Scorpius began thrusting his hips forward, fucking Albus' hand as fast as he could. Albus responded by grasping his cock tighter, quickening his strokes and in a matter of seconds Scorpius had cried out and shot his load all over his own chest.

"Happy Christmas," said Albus softly. "See you after the holidays."

Scorpius was unable to respond and could only nod, breathing heavily, brain spinning from the unbelievable release of his first orgasm at the hands of someone other than himself.

Albus began to climb out of bed and back through the curtains. Scorpius grabbed him by his pajama top and pulled him back, giving him a kiss so loving and tender that Albus was unable to contain himself any longer and felt his cock twitching in his trousers as he came involuntarily with a gasp.

He wasn't sure what presents his family had bought him for Christmas, but he was certain that nothing would match up to the gift he had received tonight.


End file.
